Story of a Tribute
by Mattii16
Summary: Maple Serena thought she was safe from being reaped. She had turned 19 and was now out of the draw. But after the twist for the 4th Quarter Quell is revealed, she is thrown into the arena to fight to the death. Will she make it out alive? Or will she join the long list of the fallen? Rated T for gore and language.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, I am Maple Serena from district 7. Life has a way of throwing obstacles your way. Like now for instance. I am standing in the district square, waiting for this year's tributes to be reaped. I feel sorry for the poor kids. District 7 hasn't had a victor in years. The last person was Andre Pears who won the 78th games and is our only living victor left. Every year we have kids fight to the death in the arena, some even look promising, but they don't last. Most don't even make it pass the first day.

Like last year's tributes. An 18 year old brute that looked as if he could snap someone's neck like a twig and a 15 year old that, even though she was young, could swiftly kill somebody with a knife (She was fast). But the boy died in the bloodbath. He got careless and was taken down by a career tribute. The girl was good though. She made it to the final 3 but died in the final battle.

This year though, is a little scarier. This will be the 100th hunger games and the fourth Quarter Quell. Yes, a quell. Held every 25 years and each one having a twist. The first quell got everyone from each district vote for their tributes. The second quell had double the amount of tributes competing. The third quell was interesting, or so I've heard. The tributes were all victors, who had won previous games. As I have read in the history books at school, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, winners of the 74th games, caused a rebellion but failed horribly.

I can remember hearing about the 4th quell twist just like it was yesterday. I can remember how hurt I had felt.

* * *

_I look around at my family. My father is sitting on the couch, his arm around Fern's, my stepmother's, shoulders. My little sister Venia is playing on the floor with an old rag doll that my gran brought for her when she was born. My gran is sitting just behind her in a lone chair. I smile at my family before looking at the television set._

_We have all been told to watch the television today at this time. The announce__ment for the 4__th__ quell is being announced. The screen fills with the capitol seal with the national anthem playing. A screen pops up on the screen, President Arin with her bright red hair curling around her face and over her __shoulders. Her blue eyes, icy a__s ever and her bright full red lips standing out against her snow white skin._

"_Hello my nation. Welcome to the reading of the card ceremony" the 'Witch', as I call her, says into the microphone. I hear the roaring of the crowd as she carries on talking. "On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it."_

_That must have been hard. I can't begin to imagine what the chosen tributes would be thinking._

"_On the fiftieth anniversary" the president continues, "as a reminder that two rebels died for each capitol citizen, every district was required to send in twice as many tributes."_

_Imagine that. Facing off against double the amount of tributes. Having to fight against 47 kids. Some guy from district 12 called Haymitch won that year. He won by using the force field around the arena to take out the last tribute. Not bad really. He was one of the victors killed after the second failed rebellion._

"_For the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes were reaped from the existing pool of victors."_

_That was the start of the rebellion. The tributes broke out of the arena and those who were not caught by the capitol were taken to district 13. Everybody thought that district 13 was destroyed, but they moved underground. They had an agreement with President Snow, if they stay silent and under the radar then Snow will leave them alone. After the rebellion failed, President Arin had it destroyed for good this time._

"_And now, for the one-hundredth anniversary, to remind the rebels that no one can overthrow the glorious Capitol. The reaping age will be extended. Tributes will be from the ages ten to twenty."_

* * *

I was shocked. That made both me and my little sister eligible to be reaped. I only just got out of being reaped last year. Venia is only 10 years old. If she was reaped, she wouldn't make it pass the bloodbath for sure. As she was in my arms crying, I promised myself that if she did get picked then I would volunteer. I won't be able to watch her be murdered by some trained career who would make it slow and painful.

Suddenly the anthem burst out of the speakers set up around the square. I look to the stage to see our Mayor make his speech about how good it is to be under the Capitol's power, such a lie. Then I see Merinetta Coster take the stage. She looks as pathetic as always. Green puffy wig and crimson eyes that pop against her pale skin. Her get-up is just as worse. A dark green shirt and a camouflage pencil skirt with giant high heels which add about 10 inches to her height. God knows how she could walk in them.

"Greetings district seven" she shouts into the microphone. God I hate her stupid Capitol accent. "And welcome to the reaping's of the one-hundredth hunger games and the fourth quarter quell."

"No need to remind us you freak show" I mutter under my breath causing the girl next to me to snicker. I turn and smile at her which she returns.

"Well then, what a big celebration this is. A quell and an exciting one at that, now enough with the introduction. Let us get on with the reaping" she shouted the last part out. I cringed as her squeaky voice vibrated through my ears. I am so glad they don't show the little video clip now. They stopped it a few years back for no apparent reason. "Because we chose the female first last year, let's go with the male first." Merinetta made her way over to the male reaping bowl and dug her hand in. She pulled out a slip and read it out, "Oak Chambers."

I see a terrified boy walk from the 15 year olds section. He looked fragile and by the look of his body, he comes from the poor part of the district. He stumbles his way to the stage with everyone looking at him pitifully, even Merinetta who I thought was void of all emotion except for joy.

"Right then, onto the female tribute" Merinetta chirped as she went to the female tribute bowl. She dug around inside and after a couple of seconds, she pulled out the slip. She reads it out clearly, "Maple Serena."

Like I said, life has a way of throwing obstacles your way.

* * *

**A/N: Riiiiiight! So, here**** I am with my first every hunger games fan fic. This is, as you can see, an OC character fic. Thank you for giving this story a chance, I really appreciate it.**

**There is not much more to say except, REVIEW! I would like to see what you guys think and it ****will push me to write more, so send me a little review after you read this. Goodbye until next time~**


	2. Chapter 2

The crowd is silent as I start to move out of the 19 year old section. The other girls look at me with pity in their eyes. I know why they pity me. It is because I just got out of the reaping age and yet I am being reaped. They don't need to pity me, I don't need their pity.

I hate this feeling. The feeling of having a thousand eyes on you. How the hell am I going to cope in the arena? I get to the concrete steps and start to climb, each step is a step to death.

I get to the side of Merinetta and she is beaming at me, "Hello dear" she says. I don't bother to respond. I will not waste my words on this pathetic woman who is only planning on cheering for my killer when I am murdered on national television. "Right then. District Seven, give it up for your tributes, Oak Chambers and Maple Serena."

Her voice rings through my ears like a tiny bell that I just want to smash. She gets me to shake hands with Oak. As our hands touch I can feel his shaking. I look into his eyes and sigh, this guy isn't going to make it in there. I am then grabbed by my arms by two peacekeepers and they take me into the justice building. I know what's coming up, the goodbyes.

I am put into a room that looks like it has had better days. The wallpaper is peeling and the couches have the stuffing showing. I get a chill down my spine as I think about all the kids who have said goodbye to their family in here and never made it back.

I take a seat on the couch and instantly regret it. The cushion is rock hard and I can feel all the springs inside. "God, couldn't they at least let me say goodbye in comfort" I mutter under my breath.

"You have ten minutes" I hear a deep voice say. I turn and see my dad, Fern and Venia walking in. Venia runs straight at me and I pull her into my arms.

"Don't go" she cries as she latches onto my. It breaks my heart to see her like this. Thanks to the Capitol and their stupid form of entertainment, Venia will have to grow up without an older sister. First mum and now me.

"I have to" I reply as I feel tears roll down my cheeks.

"But I don't want you too. This isn't fair" she cries. It takes all of my strengh to not break down in tears.

"I know, I know" I reply while rocking her back and forth. "But that is life. We have to live through it."

"Will you come back?" she asks as she leans away so I can see her tiny 10 year old face and I take in her features. Her dark brown hair, similar to my own and her grey eyes identical to mine and my real mothers.

"I don't know" I reply. I want to tell her that I will, but I can't promise that. But there is one thing that I can promise, "I will do everything I can do to come back. I promise." She nods and buries her head into my shoulder. I hold her tight until dad takes her from my arms. He kneels down and takes my hands with his free one.

"You can do this Maple" he says, tears forming in his eyes. "I believe in you sweetheart." He leans forward and kisses my cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too dad" I reply as I hug him. I hear him let out a choked sob and it stings my heart. He has cried only twice in his adult life. When mum died and now. He walks away and Fern takes his place with a tear stained face.

"Hello sweetie" she says as she takes my hands. I smile at her, unable to form any words at the moment. "I know that I am not your real mum, and I will never be able to replace her. But, I love you just like my daughter." I look into her brown eyes and feel warm. Mum died giving birth to Venia and it was a year after, that dad and Fern met. She has treated me and Venia just like her own daughters and I treat her just like I did mum.

"I love you too" I whisper, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I will do everything I can to come home" I say to all three of them. They all nod and then a peacekeeper comes to take them away from me forever. I think of gran, she would have wanted to say goodbye, but in her old age she can't even move from the chair.

The next person to come see me is my best friend Ally Thornbrize. Her face is tear stained and we spend five minutes just holding onto each other and crying. Ally and I have been best friends since we started school at the age of 5. I can't imagine my life without her and yet, she will have to live the rest of her's without me.

"I love you Maple" She says, not letting go off me.

"I love you too Ally" I reply. She leans back and takes something from around her neck. I see a glint of silver and can't help but smile. I reach around my neck and pull my own silver necklace out. The charm on the end of both is a broken heart which fit together perfectly. Mine has an 'M' engraved onto it and hers has an 'A' engraved on hers. We got them made when we were 12 and gave them to each other for our first reaping as a good luck charm.

"This will pull you through" she says as she places them together. "Whenever you feel like you can't go on, just look at it and think of home." Ally is a really deep person. The way she talks and the things she says. It is what made us friends in the first place. "Goodbye" she says as she takes my hands and gives them a squeeze.

She is then taken and I am left alone. I know that nobody else will come see me. Sure I have other friends but not major friends, just people I talk to. After waiting for 20 minutes or so, Merinetta comes to collect me. Oak and I are taken in a car to the train station. We sit in silence the whole way, none of us wanting to talk. Well, Merinetta did but after I gave her one glaring look she shut up.

The car pulls up and my vision is filled with flashes. Stupid paparazzi and there dumb camera's. I am pushed forward onto the train and when the doors shut, it feels as if I have been shut away from my home forever. Which is extremely possible.

"Right then, let me go and find Andre. You two make yourself comfortable" Merinetta says as she walks passed us and through a sliding door. I take the view in. Tables full of small cakes and bottles with different coloured alcohol in them. It looks amazing. I may hate the Capitol, but they do know how to decorate and put on a good show.

I walk to a couch which is facing another couch with the glass table between them. I take the window seat and I feel Oak slide onto the seat next to me. We don't talk, we just sit in silence until Andre comes in. He is 38 years old and already has grey showing in his dark hair. His face is worn and his green eyes look tired with bags under them. "Hello" he greets as he takes a seat opposite to us.

"Hi" I reply but Oak doesn't talk.

"Right, well tell me what you can do. What are you good at and what you can improve on" Andre says. He looks at me and I know he wants me to go first.

"Well, I am good with an axe" I reply. I realise that I sounded very much like an afraid little girl. I am 19 for god sakes. When I talk again, I make myself feel more confident, more like my age. "I can throw and axe and hit the same spot every time."

"Good, you can use a weapon. What about you boy?" he asks Oak. The scared little 15 year old beside me takes in a deep breath before answering.

"I too can use an axe" he says a little timidly. "That is all though. I am useless at everything else" he says before shrinking back into himself. I feel sorry for the kid. For him to live, means that I have to die. I am not willing to die, I need to get home for Venia.

"Well, the recaps will be shown in an hour. I suggest you go freshen up in your rooms and then meet me in the television cart" Andre says as he gets up. He nods at both of us before leaving. I soon follow after him and find my room. The room is twice the size of my room back home and has a double bed. I throw myself onto the bed and sigh. I feel tear roll down my cheeks as I let out all the emotion of today.

"I promise Venia" I cry out.

* * *

**A/N: A very emotional chapter. I would like to thank those of you who gave my story a chance, it is you who will get me through this fic.**

**Also, a big shout out to 'Ironicduck' and peetniss 4 eva' for being the first two reviewers. I really appriciate it. Go and check out their stories becuase they are both great.**

**Remember to review and I will see you all next time~**


	3. Chapter 3

I make my way through the carts of the train until I eventually find the one with the television. I see Andre, Oak and Merinetta already sitting on the couches. Andre turns to me and nods his head towards the empty chair to his right. Merinetta looks to me and instantly frowns. I must have tears streaks down my face or something.

I take the chair and we all sit in silence for a couple of seconds. The silence is broken by the anthem playing on the television. Caserin Valor's face pops up. She is the newest host that will show the recap and also the interviews. "Welcome Panem to the recap of the reaping's" she says, her pale face and bright purple lips scaring me a little. "As always, we will show from district one through to district twelve so without further ado, the recaps!"

I cringe at the sound of her voice. Full of joy and happiness, when it is us tributes who are suffering. The seal for District 1 shows up and then the reaping starts. I make note of these ones, district 1, 2 and 4 are the main competitors, with them being career districts an all. The male from 1 is a beast of a guy. He is 19 like me but towers over me. He didn't even let them call a name before he jumped onto the stage and volunteered. What makes him most noticeable are his dark blue, almost black eyes. It turns out that the female tribute also has the same eyes and when I heard there names I let out a little gasp. The boy's name is Glamour Vega and the 17 year old girl is Glitz Vega. Both siblings volunteered, knowing full well that only one can survive.

Districts 2 are your typical career tributes. The male is a guy called Barian Bonchore who is 20 years old and the girl is a tiny 19 year old Asian girl called Knives Chow.

District 3 are nothing much. I feel sorry for the girl though, she looks so scared and is tiny and has no meat on her at all. I make note of her name, Micro Stellar. I know she won't make it pass the bloodbath.

District 4, again are your typical career tributes. The male, though only 18, looks stronger then the guy from 1. He will be one to look out for. The girl is nothing much. She seems as though she just wants to fight and that could be her downfall.

District 5 passes by without catching my attention. Same with the district 6 boy, but the girl catches my eye. She is the same age as me and she had straight black hair and a pale face that is void of all emotion. What caught my eye are her purple eyes. She seems one to look out for aswel.

When it comes to me, I can see how terrified I actually look. Tears are threating to fall from my eyes as I watch the slow walk to my death. Oak is in tears and when I spot Venia in the crowd, I see the terrified look on her face. This breaks me and I let out a sob. Andre gives me a sympathetic look and Merinetta reaches over and squeezes my hand.

The rest of the reaping's go by without anyone catching my attention. I stand and I am about to walk away but Andre stops me, "Dinner will be in one hour. Get some rest and wash up" he says. I nod before leaving them and going back to my room.

I take a seat on the bed and pull the necklace from around my neck. I brush my finger over the half-heart. It then hits me. I am a competitor in a game of kill or be killed. I need to be stronger. I need to show Panem that I am a competitor. Enough with the tears, I am going to be the strong 19 year old I am.

I let one last tear fall onto the heart before standing up. I take a few deep breaths before getting washed up. After an hour of confusing dials in the shower and picking out clothes. I tie my brown hair into a ponytail before making my way to the dining cart.

I get there and see Andre and Merinetta sitting around a table full of foods I have never seen before in my life. I take a seat and Andre smiles at me, "Your looking better" he says. I nod and push all my confidence to the surface before answering.

"Well, I need to look like a competitor now. I am going to go in there fighting and if I go down, it will be fighting" I say with a burst of confidence.

"Well that's the spirit. But, confidence can be a downfall. You don't want to get too over confident" Andre replies. He is right, I need to be confident but not over confident. I will need to be on my guard every second of the way.

I just nod in reply before the doors slide open and Oak scurries in and quickly sits beside me. I know by the look on his face that he has already counted himself out. I would ally with him but there is no way I would be able to kill him when it comes down to it.

Dinner starts and for starters we have a pea soup which is delicious. The main course is just as good. Chicken, drizzled in a creamy citrus flavours source, it makes my mouth water just looking at it.

"Listen up" Andre says. I swallow the piece of chicken in my mouth and look up, "We will arrive in the Capitol tomorrow morning around breakfast so get a good night sleep, if you can." I nod before eating again.

* * *

I stare at the ceiling of the train. The moonlight is pouring through the window and is slightly lighting up my room. I think about home, about all the people I love. What will they be doing now? Crying? Maybe, Venia will be. Dad will be the one trying to calm her down, he is the only one who can. When either Venia or I use to have nightmares, he will come and sing to us and old family song.

'_When you're feeling__ blue_

_Just know that I am here_

_Don't threat my dear child_

_I'll hold you dear'_

I sing the first verse. Tears threaten to fall but I push them back. I can't cry no more, I need to be strong.

'_When you're feeling down_

_Don't cry my dear_

_I will be there for yo__u_

_I'll hold you here'_

The next verse slips out and even more tears threaten to fall so I stop. If I carry on I will cry and I won't stop. I just close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. I can cry when I see my family again. When I can hold them all in my arms. Then I can cry, but until then there will be no more tears.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 3! Tell me if you are getting bored as the story goes on. ****I will try to put more excitement in it. Until next time people!**


	4. Chapter 4

I am scared to say the least. I am standing on the train near the doors that will soon open up to the Capitol. I can feel every inch of me shaking, both from being scared and even a little excitement.

I turn and look down at Oak. He is trembling with fear, again I feel a pang in my chest. It hurts to see someone so small and innocent to be in this much fear and pain.

"You two ready?" Andre comes up behind me. I nod but Oak doesn't say anything. Merinetta comes in front of us and places a hand on the handle.

"Welcome, to the Capitol" she says as the doors slide open. I have to cover my eyes at first because it is so bright. Once my eyes adjust and I see the station, I am in complete awe with the place. Cheers of Capitolites fill my ears and for a second I think it could send me death.

We begin to walk and I get a better look at the place. High ceiling with a giant, and I mean giant, chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The crowd is blacked of by a barrier that is forming a walkway for us. As we walk I hear shouts from the crowd.

"We love you Maple!"

"I am rooting for you Maple!"

"Poor kid, look at him!" this one hurts me and I can see it hurts Oak so I send a glare in the general direction from where it came from. We walk pass a small fountain and I get a glimpse of multi-coloured fish and it sends a chill down my spine. They even alter animals here, how sickening.

We walk until a white car picks us up. "This car will take us to the remake centre, were you will be prepped for the opening ceremonies tonight" Andre says as he takes his seat in the car.

"What will they do?" Oak says. I am shocked, it is the first time I have heard him speak.

"So he does talk" Andre jokes. "Well, you might not like what they do, but don't argue. Just let them get on with it and don't complain, OK?"

"Ok" I reply. Oak nods his agreement. I am guessing he only talks if he has a question. On the ride to the remake centre, I have my eyes gazing out of the window. I feel like a little kid in a theme park. I feel like I am 12 years old again, only without all the dread of the hunger games on my mind.

It doesn't take long for us to get to the remake centre and once we do I am whisked away by a freaky bunch of people. They don't even ask when they pull my clothes of me and I am standing in front of them stark naked.

"Looks strong" the only boy there says and he twirls a piece of the long green hair in his fingers.

"Carvo, that is mean. She is a woman, not a man" shrieks a long red haired one who has strange tribal patterns on her face.

"Women can be strong too Cat" Carvo replies.

"Enough you too. We have work to do" say the other girl who has bushy silver hair and golden tattoos all over her arms and legs.

"Yes Sibley" Carvo and Cat reply as they nod. They give me a thin blue robe and get to work. They strip every hair of my body (Excluding my real hair). They wash me down then cover me in this cream that has little stones in. They then scrub about 3 layers of skin of my body.

I am left red raw afterwards but then they cover me in a clear cream that instantly soothes my saw skin. They start doing stuff with my hair but I can't see that and then they add some drops in my eyes.

When they are done I want to see what they have done. They sit me up and a mirror rises from the floor. I let out a gasp when I see myself. They have dyed my hair completely white and my eyes have no colour, just white. It is like they have taken away my irises and pupil.

They have turned me into a freaking ghost. What the hell! "What have you done?" I ask slightly enraged.

"We have made you beautiful" Cat says.

"You look absolutely amazing" Carvo says as she puts his hands together and lets out a little girly squeal.

"No, you have made me into a freaking ghost" I scream, anger filling my body.

"No darling. You wait and see what Darius has for you, you will get it then" Sibley replies, not even phased by my anger showing.

"Why can't you see how wrong this is? You died my fucking hair white" I scream again.

"Oh somebody has a potty mouth" Carvo says as he 'tsks' at me.

"Quiet Carvo" Sibley says calmly. She seems to be the boss of the other 2. Carvo steps back with Cat. "That is wash in, wash out dye. All you have to do is rinse it with some warm water and it will run right out" she says to me. This calms me a little. At least I won't have to fight to the death with white hair.

"And the eyes?" I ask.

"Just some eye drops. They will fade within two days or so" she replies as calmly as ever. TWO DAYS! I am going to be training with white eyes. Great, my day just gets better.

"You are dismissed" I hear a voice come from behind my prep-team. They turn and nod before leaving. Standing there is a man who has short dark blue hair and the most amazing emerald green eyes. His hair is all that seems out of place, the rest of him looks pretty normal.

"Hi" I say as he walks closer.

"Hello dear, I am Darius" he replies as he takes my hand. I know it sounds a little cliché but I feel a little spark when he does and my heart rate picks up. Why am I feeling like this? I have never felt like this about any guy before. "How are you feeling?" I hear him talk but it sounds miles away. I am lost in his eyes, though they are an unnatural green, they look natural.

After I realise I haven't been replying I quickly answer with a, "Fine" then take my hand back.

"That's good. Now, onto your outfit. We need something to represent your district" Darius says.

"We produce lumber" I say.

"But I don't want to do that. I want to do something that is more on the manufacturing side of lumber" he says. I look at him a little confused. What does lumber make? Charcoal, houses, paper…"Paper" he says as if he had read my mind.

"Paper?" I ask.

"Yes, and what do you do with paper?" he asks.

"Write on it?"

"Exactly" he says as he takes my hands and helps me of the table I was sitting on. I now get it, the white hair and white eyes. He turns me around before disappearing through a door. He comes back with a clothes bag in his hand. "This holds your outfit" he says. He unzips it and inside is a white all-in-one.

"That's it?" I ask and he nods.

* * *

Darius gets me to twirl and as I do, the white cape he added on to the outfit flutters around. "Beautifull" he says as he smiles at me. I feel a blush come to my cheeks as he does that and the feeling from before is back in my stomach. It is just a little crush...I hope.

I turn my head to hide the blue that I can feel spreading across my cheeks before replying, "Thank you." We then walk to an elevator that will take us to the stables where our chariot awaits us.

The elevator ride is faster than I thought and we were at the stables within seconds. When I enter the stables I am taken aback. All the other tributes look amazing, well most of them. District 10 are dressed like cowboys. District 12 are in miners outfits and district 2, who I thought would stand out, are in the usual golden armour. District one blow my mind though. The girl is wearing a green dress made entirely out of emeralds with matching emerald shoes and an emerald tiara which shoes of her stunning looks and blonde hair. The boy is wearing a suite made entirely out of sapphires with a sapphire crown.

I catch a glimpse of the small girl from 3. They have dressed them up with different gadgets which look all alien to me. The girl is frowning and has shrunken back into herself as if she is allergic to everything around her.

I sigh with pity as she stands all alone. I see the boy from district 8 make his way over to the careers. He must think he has a chance with them, I doubt it very much. They dont usually allow outer districts to join them, unless they somehow outmatch the careers.

I see our chariot and it takes my breath away. The horses are white aswel as everything else. Oak is dressed in the same attire as I am. His stylist has the full works done to her. She has crazy orange hair and tinted purple skin with an eye tattooed onto her forehead. What a freak!

"Hi" I greet Oak. He smiles at before looking off into the distance.

"Maple" Darius says. I look to him and he is pointing to Oak's stylist, "This is Verenia" he says. The woman extends her arm and offers me a hand shake.

"Hello" I say, pushing confidence to the surface. I don't want to look weak around anybody. "Maple Serena" I say.

"Charmed" Verenia replies as we shake. Suddenly music blasts through the stable and I see other tributes getting up onto the chariots.

"Up you go" Darius says as he offers me his hand. I take it and he helps me up after Oak climbs in. "Make them love you" he says as the first chariot leaves. I sigh before closing my eyes and start taking deep breaths. Make them love me, make them love me. How the hell am I supposed to do that?

I feel our chariot start moving and I open my eyes. As soon as we enter the parade I am awestruck. If the music wouldn't deafen me then it would be the cheers. I couldn't even hear myself think.

People look at us as if they are confused. I would be too if I was watching two people dressed up in white. Suddenly something happens. I see something dark move over the horses. Then another and another. They look like letters and numbers.

More cheers erupt and I realise what Darius has done. His earlier question pops into my head.

"_Yes, and what do you do with paper?"_

You write on it. He and Verenia have turned Oak and me into paper. I look at my body and see letters flying around my whole body. The cheers are getting even louder. I can hear some of them.

"We love you district seven."

"Woohoo, go Maple."

"Come on Oak!"

I look to Oak who is actually smiling. He is waving to the crowd and they love it. I smile at the crowd and decide to blow kisses. One of these will have to sponsor me now.

We pull into the square outside of the President's Mansion and I see her look down on us all like we are insects and she is biding her time to just squish us all. The district 12 chariot pulls into place and then President Arin starts her speech.

"Welcome tributes!" she yells. "We welcome you to our Capitol and what a pleasure it is to have you here with us." Lies! "We are happy to look after you up until the games and on that note. May the odds be ever in your favour!" She makes me sick. If I had an axe I would be able to kill her in one hit.

She doesn't say much more. And then we are taken into the training centre where we tributes will spend the upcoming days training for our survival. This is going to be a long next few days.

* * *

**A/N: I was going to write about what happen****s when she enters the training centre, but I want the chapters to all be equal and this chapter hit over 2000 words, so I left it out. I might put at the beginning of the next chapter, but I might not. Please review and I will see ya'll next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just couldn't wait to upload this chapter. This is training day 1 so here you go guys. ENJOY!**

* * *

I spot Andre, Merinetta, Darius and Verenia waving at us as we pull in. Oak jumps down before Darius helps me. I thank him before turning to my mentor. "You did well" he said as he took my hand, "You will get sponsors, no doubt." He is right, I have made my life in the arena easier. He walks over to Oak and pats his back, "You too kid. You won't need to worry as much now." Oak smiles at him before Merinetta chirps in.

"Alright then, of we go" Merinetta claps her hands together and starts to walk away. We all follow her to an elevator and once we are inside it shoots off, faster than I thought it would. I grip onto Andre's shoulder so I don't fall over.

We are only in the elevator for a couple of seconds before we end up on the 7th floor. The place is just amazing. It is the only word I can think of as we walk around. Merinetta is giving us a tour but I don't pay attention because I am just in awe at the place.

The dining area alone is the size of my house altogether. I spot some people dotted around the place that are known as an Avox. They are people who have broken the law and are punished by having their tongues cut out and are forced to serve the Capitol and us tributes every year.

"Now, if you follow me I will show you to your bedrooms" Merinetta says as Andre, Darius and Verenia split off and head in some other direction. She shows Oak his room first and then leaves him alone and takes me to my room.

We enter and I can hold it in, "WOW!" I almost shout, making Merinetta jump out of her skin.

"Calm down dear" she says as he pats my shoulder. I look around and see that I have a window taking up a whole wall. A giant double bed is in the middle of the room. A door leading to the bathroom and a chest of draws and a wardrobe. "Now, dinner will be shortly, I will fetch you when it is ready. Until then, just relax" she says before leaving me.

The first thing I do is go over to the bed and flop down onto it. It is super soft, way better than my rock hard one back home. Home! Just the thought of it makes me super depressed again. I fight back the tears that are threatening to fall.

To take my mind of everything I strip from my white outfit and decide to shower. After that I dress in a yellow blouse and a pair of black jeans. I tie my, now brown, hair into a ponytail before leaving my room. The halls are empty until I find the dining room.

Andre and Merinetta are sitting around it so I take a seat. "Where is Darius?" I ask.

"He and Verenia had to leave for a stylist party to celebrate their work on the outfits" Merinetta replies, "Talking about the outfits. When will your white eyes turn back to their normal colour?"

"Darius said it will take up to two days" I reply.

"Oh right. You look better with the dark grey eyes" she replies. She takes a sip from her coffee.

"Hi" Oak greets us as he walks over and takes a seat. I smile at him and so does Andre.

"Hello dear" Merinetta says as she too smiles, quite freakishly, at Oak.

"Good, now you're both are here let's talk" Andre says. I listen to him as he explains about training. "Training will start tomorrow and you will have 3 days of it before the games. On the third day you will have your private sessions with the Gamemakers. This is where you should show of your skills. Bigger score means more sponsors" he says. I nod and so does Oak.

"What should we work on?" Oak asks.

"Well you say you both can use and axe so don't use the weaponry until the private sessions. You don't want the other tributes to see you as a threat because you will become their main target" Andre says. "Concentrate on the survival stations. Sure a weapon is nice, but you need to know about food or shelters."

"What about other weapons?" I ask. I would mind having a go at them.

"You can use them, but like I said. Concentrate on the survival side. That will be your main knowledge to have in the arena" Andre replies. He can't say anything else because dinner is starting to be served.

* * *

I look up at the ceiling. I can hear the sound of the festivities going on below the training centre. The Capitolites must be having a hell of a time. Good for them, but they are keeping me awake.

I shove a pillow over my head and force my eyes shut. When I open them again it is morning. I must have fell asleep without realising. I yawn as a stretch my tired muscles. I spot an outfit on the end of my bed. It is black all over except the shoulders which are red and it has a number 7 on the right arm.

I don't bother showering because I am just going to get all sweaty during training. I put the outfit on and then walk out of my room to find Merinetta smiling at me with Oak already by her side. "Good morning" she says. Her voice is too much this early in the morning. I groan a reply before she leads me and Oak to the elevator.

She presses the button labelled 'B1' and the elevator shoots off. When we get out I am in shock. We are under the training centre and I see lots of different stations. I spot the Gamemakers sitting on a risen platform, looking over all us tributes.

It seems Oak and I am the last ones to arrive so we both quickly fall into place. A dark skinned woman called Atilla greets herself and starts a speech. "Welcome tributes to the training room" she says. "There are loads of different stations for you to try but let me tell you. Don't just focus on the weaponry. It may be tempting to get a weapon into your hands but you will need survival skill aswel.

She finishes her speech and then the tributes start splitting up. I see the tributes from 1, 2 and 4 head straight for the weapons. I also see the 15 year old girl from 12 head over to the weaponry also which is strange.

I see Oak walk over to the fire making station. I don't need that station because of 2 reasons.

I already know how to start a fire.

Fire will attract unwanted attention so I won't be using it.

I walk over to the edible plants station. I spend some time reading a book which explains what plants are edible and which ones could kill me. I recognise some of them but there are some foreign ones that could be in the arena. I make sure to memorise most of them by reading the book and then re-reading it over and over for 2 hours straight.

After that I am feeling like my head is going to explode so I decide to head over to shelter making. I see that the tributes from 5, 9 and 10 are there aswel. I find a space away from them and start to build.

It is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I would misplace one item and the whole thing would fall. After so many tried I am about to give up but then I am joined by somebody. It is the girl from 6. "Hi" she says as she kneels down in front of me.

"Hi" I reply as I once again fail to build a shelter.

"Need some help?" she asks. I look at her and see a smile. When I saw her being reaped she seemed like a dark girl who would stay to herself, but she doesn't look like it now.

"Sure" I reply. So for the next hour or so she helps me with the shelter. In the end we have one standing that is waterproof, weatherproof and is big enough to fit two people. "Thanks I tell her as I wipe my sweaty brow.

"No problem" she says. "Well, I'll be seeing you. I hope we don't run into each other in there" she says as she walks away.

"Me too" I mutter under my breath. She walks away and I can't help but smile. She was nothing that I thought she was. She is actually nice and is funny. If it weren't for the situation, I could see us both being friends. I found out her name is Alex Rupee and she has 3 brothers and 2 sisters. She also works in a factory working on the engines of trains and cars.

I tell her about my family, all about Venia, dad, Fern and gran. I tell her about how gran is old and didn't get to say goodbye to me. She seemed sympathetic about it but I reassured her that it was fine. Gran could hardly say hi, let alone say goodbye.

I stay in the shelter making to improve and by lunch time I have built 4 perfect shelters. All of us tributes pile into the lunch hall and the careers, aswel as the girl from 12 head to sit alone. Maybe the girl from 12 is good enough to join them.

I decide to sit alone and I see that Alex is too. She smiles at me which I return before I eat.

* * *

After lunch I spend some time at the camouflage station but I failed terribly at it so I left. I also tried my hand at the bows but I just couldn't seem to get the target. If I had an axe in my hand I would get every target, but I said I will use them at the private sessions.

After a while, I give up and head back up to floor 7. I tell Merinetta and Andre, who was eating, that I would not be eating with them today because I am just too tired. I get to my room and collapse on the bed and fall into a nightmare filled sleep.

* * *

**A/N: So Maple met Alex from 6. When I first thought of Alex, I was going to make her an enemy of Maple but then I decided against it for ****some random reason (don't ask me what). Please review and I will see you next time~**


	6. Chapter 6

_I am standing in a field covered in blood. The wind is blowing eerily and it is creeping me out. Why am I covered in blood? Then is see the career tributes looking at me in horror. "What?" I shout but don't get a reply._

_The girl from 1 points to the floor and I look down. I am standing on four bodies. Oak's, Alex's, the boy from 3 and the boy from 11. There lifeless eyes are staring at me. Taunting me. I now know why they are looking at me in horror. I did this, I killed them. _

_I look at my hands and see that my nails are sharp and stained with blood. "Maple?" I look up and see Venia standing in front of me with tears In her eyes. I am filled with joy and then horror. I feel an instinct to kill. Not just anybody, but Venia._

_I step forward, trying my best to pull away but it seems as though I have been taken over by something else. I grab Venia's tiny head in my hands and raise a claw. "Nooooooooo!" I shriek as I bring my hand down across Venia's throat._

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

* * *

I wake to the sound of Merinetta's knuckles rapping on the wooden door. I groan as I sit up, "Wake up Maple, you are late" she shouts sounding distressed. Man that woman is so overdramatic.

I decide to show because I didn't yesterday when I got back and then I change into my uniform and leave my room. I head down into the training centre and see that everyone else is already training.

I see Oak is at the camouflage station and I see Alex there too. I walk over, ready to get better. Maybe Alex can help me out again. "Hi" I say to her.

"Hello" she greets me with a smile. I see Oak look at us and then he quickly looks away. I look at Alex's arm and see that she has made it look like it is made out of stone.

"Wow" I say as I look at the piece of art, "That is great."

"Thanks, I can teach you how to do it" she says.

"Really?" I ask.

"Sure, just follow my every step." So I do as I am told. My finished work is not as good as hers, but it is better than mine yesterday.

"You're a great teacher" I tell her. She smiles before washing her arm.

"Wanna come and try the gauntlet with me?" she asks. The gauntlet? I haven't tried that yet.

"Ok, but I may not be as good" I tell her.

"That's all good, same as me. But it will be fun" she tells me. I smile, a genuine smile and we walk over to it. It looks amazing. It starts with a tribute having to jump over platforms that are rising and falling. Then it goes onto a log swing in which you have to jump over or role under to get pass. That then leads onto the last part. It is a swimming part where you have to swim a 20 metre stretch. You have to do all of that in the fastest time.

I see the 17 year old boy from district 3 give it a try. He gets over the platforms but is knocked off by a log. Alex and I get in line and minutes later Alex is giving it a shot. She struggles on the platforms but clears the logs and the swimming parts with ease. Her time is 3:42.

Now it is my turn. The time starts and I set of. I jump on the first platform which was falling and then jump on the next just as it starts to rise. Next two platforms are easy, but on the last one, I fall forward and land on my stomach before the logs. I jump to my feet and jump over the first log that is swinging towards me. The next log with swinging from left to right so I do a quickly roll under it and then go into an instant jump to avoid getting knocked of the one after which was heading straight at me.

I get over the logs and dive straight into the water. I swim as fast as I could to the end and climb out. I am instantly dried by a fan that blows hot air all over me. I am out of breath and sigh when I look at the time. 4:02. Not bad for my first try.

"Nice one" Alex says as she walks over to me.

"Thanks" I reply, still finding it hard to breath. We are called for lunch and this time Alex and I sit together.

"Look at them" Alex spits as she looks at the careers who are laughing and joking. It seems that the 18 year old male from district 8 has joined them too. "It makes me feel sick that they enjoy killing" she says as she digs her fork into her pasta salad.

"Me too, but what can we do?" I ask.

"Hit them where it hurts" she replies. I look up into her eyes, "We can be allies and start an anti-career team" she says. I am shocked that she asked me to be allies and even more shocked that she wants to form an anti-careers team. I didn't want allies because I didn't want to get attached, but maybe if we get to the final 8 we can split.

"That would be cool" I tell her. Her eyes light up and she smiles at me, "But a rule. If we get to the final 8 then we split. I don't want to have to try and kill you" I tell her.

"Deal" she says and shakes my hand. "But, just the two of us won't be able to take down the careers. We need others" she says. I agree, but who will be willing to help us take out the careers?

After lunch Alex and I keep our eyes out for potential allies. The male from district 3 catches my attention. It turns out he is good with snares and traps which will come in handy. I walk over to Alex, "The boy from three can make snares and traps" I tell her.

"That would help us a lot. Also, the brute from 11 looks promising" she says. I search the place for the boy and see him on the gauntlet. He makes a time of 1:32.

"Wow, he sure does. Let's speak to them tomorrow" I say. She nods before the bell is rung for the end of training. I get in the elevator with Alex, Oak and the little girl from 3. All she has done in training was camouflage. She has no hope. I would ask her to join us, but she won't help us at all.

I say goodbye to Alex at her floor and then get off on floor 7 with Oak. Then it hits me, Oak can use and axe and he seems good with camouflage. He could help us. I stop him in the hall, "I need to talk" I tell him. He nods his head and I carry on, "I have formed an alliance with Alex from six and I want you to join us" I tell him. I see in his face that he is contemplating this.

"OK" he replies with a small smile.

"Good, I will explain it to Andre at dinner" I say before walking to my bedroom. I strip from my outfit and get into the shower. The hot water runs over my sore muscles. It feels great to just relax for a minute or so.

I step out and wrap a towel around myself. I pick out a blue shirt and grey sweat pants to ware and then I go out for dinner. I see Andre, Merinetta and Oak sitting there and I join them.

"I heard you have formed an alliance" Andre says. I shoot a glare at Oak but she shrugs his shoulders. "My pal from six told me. He says that you and his female tribute Alex are now allies."

"And Oak" I say. He raises and eye brow at this.

"Are you sure that's smart?" he asks.

"Yes. If I am going to die then I want to at least help somebody else out" I tell him. It is a lie in a way because even though I will help Oak, I am doing to this take out the careers early on in the games. He nods at this and that was the end of that conversation. After dinner I head to bed to rest up for tomorrow. I will need the rest for tomorrow. It is the last day of training and I can finally show them my skills with an axe. I will show everyone that I have a secret skill and none of those tributes will know what it is!

* * *

**A/N: YAY! We are at the private session's next chapter. Then after that will be the interviews and then the launch. I can't wait to start writing about the games. Will the boys from 3 and 11 join Maple, Alex and Oak? And will Alex accept Oak into the alliance? To find out keep reading~**

**P.S. Can you please check out the story ****'****Every Gift Has a Price: the 150th Hunger Games' by ****'Randomique' as they need some characters for the SYOT.**


	7. Chapter 7

I throw the knife forward, going of target on purpose. I found that knife throwing is similar to axe throwing. I have been here for an hour now, since training started. Alex and I came up with the plan that she would ask 11 and I will ask 3. Alex was a little wary about Oak joining but I told her that he will be a good asset and so she let him join us.

The boy from district 3, who I learnt is called Chip Stronghold, isn't here yet so I have been here waiting. He probably slept in like I did yesterday. I see the girl from 2 watching me closely. I pick up another knife and throw, going of course on purpose again. She scoffs before walking away. That gets her off of my back.

I then see Alex walking over to me with the boy from 11 behind her. "Hey Maple" she says with a smile. "This is Thorn from 11. He said yes" she says with excitement in her voice.

"Cool. Hi" I say as I hold out my hand. He takes it and smiles at me.

"Hi" he says before letting go. Oak joins us next and I smile at him.

"Hey Oak" I say and he smiles. "This is Alex and Thorn. Our other allies" I tell him.

"Hello" he says. I see a small blush on his cheeks as he looks at Alex. Awww, he has a crush on Alex.

"Hi kid" Thorn greets as he pats Oak on the shoulder. I then see the Chip from 3 leave the elevator yawning.

"I will be right back. Chip is here" I tell them before walking towards him. He stops as I stop in front of him. "Hi" I say while holding my hand out.

"Hello" he takes it, seeming confused. "What do you want?" he asks.

"To talk to you…somewhere quiet" I tell him. He scrunches his eyebrows together before nodding.

"OK" he says and se we both walk to the corner of the room.

"Right, I will just get straight to it" I tell him. "I have an alliance with Alex from six, Oak from my district and Thorn from 11. We are the anti-careers" I tell him. A small smile grows on his lips. "We want to take out the careers ealier on in the games" I say.

"And you want me?" he asks and I nod. "Why?"

"Because I have seen you set up snares and traps. You have a talent and we can use that" I reply.

"Ok, so what if I do join and we get to the final eight. What then?" he asks.

"If we get to the final eight, then we split. We will go our separate ways and hope that it won't come down to the five of us" I tell him. I can see him thinking about the idea and then he nods.

"Ok, I'm in. I want the careers out and it will give us outer district a chance for once" he says. I nod and smile. We make out way back to our group and Alex smiles when she sees Chip following me.

"He said yes" I tell her.

"No shit" she replies with a small laugh. "So it is us five. We are all good at something and we all want the careers dead" Alex says. She is a dark person, but if she is on our side then I am fine with it. "Now we need a plan for the bloodbath" she says.

"Get in and get out" Thorn says.

"If you can get out that is" Chip mutters.

"Also, if you see that one of us needs help, then help. We need all five of us to do this" I say. They all nod and we all smile.

* * *

At lunch Alex and I sit together as normal, but Oak, Thorn and Chip sit alone. "This could work" Alex says, "Us lower district will have a chance." Her excitement makes me smile. By doing this plan us underdogs have a chance to shine. For as long as can remember, a career has won.

"Glitz Vega, District One" a metallic voice says. I see Glitz get up, a giant grin on her face. That grin will be gone in a few days. I plan on it! The time passes and Chip goes in. He leaves with a smile on his face, and then it is time for Alex. I wish her good luck before she enters. She too leaves with a smile and then the boy from her district enters. When he leaves it is my turn.

"Maple Serena, District Seven" comes the voice. I look to Oak who nods at me and then to Thorn who smiles. I enter the training room and it seems so big without the tributes in it.

"Maple Serena?" the head gamemaker, Racko Gloryfin, asks.

"Yes" I reply. He nods and I make my way over to the axes. I take one and feel alive as it is in my hands. I feel like I am back in the woods again. I look to the target and close my eyes. This is it, I need this to go as good as it possibly can. I picture the woods back home. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees. The sound of the birds chirping above my head. I weigh the axe in my hands before I throw.

I open my eyes as it flies through the air. I smile as it lunges into the head of the dummy. I take another two and run forward. I slice at the dummy and the axe in my right hand takes of the head and the other slices of both of the legs.

I turn and plunge an axe into the chest of another dummy and then turn and cut another dummy in half at the waist level. I feel alive with adrenaline pumping through my veins. I then walk over to the knives and take a handful. I throw and each one strikes the targets in the most vital areas of the body. The eye sockets, the throats, the chest and the artery in the leg that if cut you will bleed to death.

I turn to the peacekeeper's who are looking at me like I am some crazed mental patient. "That would be all" Racko says as he looks at me with a raised eye brow. I know by that look that I have done the best I could. Now to wait for the scores.

* * *

I step out of the elevator and see Andre there, "District three and eleven aswel" he almost shouts.

"Yeh, so what" I reply.

"So what? You are playing a dangerous game here Maple" he says.

"I know what I am doing" I reply, starting to get frustrated.

"And what is that?" he asks. I can't tell him the plan because he will talk me out of it.

"None of your business" I shout back at him.

"I am your mentor. How the hell am I supposed to help you and Oak in the arena if I have no idea what is going on?" he shouts back.

"You will see in the arena what our plan is. But until then BACK OFF!" I shout in his face. He seems startled. I am no longer the scared young lady that I was when I stepped on the train. The games have already changed me before they have even begun and I can feel it to.

I charge pass him and go into my room. "EEEUUUURRRGGGHHHH!" I scream, getting more pissed off by the second. I grab the weird looking remote and flick the television on. It has Caesar Flickerman, who is ancient, and Claudius Templesmith, who is also ancient, talking.

"Well Caesar, what do you have to say about alliances this year? Can you see any going on?" Claudius asks.

"Well there are the tributes from one, two and four as always. They have also accepted two others which is very surprising. Also, there is word of another alliance. I am not saying who they are but some of the other tributes better look out" Caesar replies.

"Yes they should" I mutter under my breath. I flip of the television and decide to shower. I change into a green shirt and a pair of black jeans before going into the living area. I see that Andre, Oak, Darius, Verenia and Merinetta sitting around.

"Darling" Darius greets me and he walks over to me and hugs me. He no longer has the effect on me that he did have. He actually makes me feel sick with that capitol accent. His eyes no longer get me lost in them. I hug back for courtesy, but it is nothing more.

"Come and sit. They are about to reveal the scores" Merinetta says. I take and seat and Oak smiles at me which I return. Andre hasn't looked at me once since I came out to sit with them. I cross my arms over my chest before looking at the screen.

The anthem plays and the Capitol seal appears before Caesar shows up. "Good evening Panem and welcome to the revealing of the scores" he says. A crowd can be heard cheering but then they are silenced. "Now to those scores…"

The careers get a ranged between 9-11. Chip gets a 7 and the Micro gets a 3. I feel a pang of pity hit me but push it away. The rest get a range between 3-8. Alex pulls of a 9 and it gets me wondering about what she done to get it. Then it is mine and Oak's turn. "Oak Chambers, seven" Caesar says.

"Well done" Merinetta shouts excitedly. I can see that none of them expected it.

"Maple Serena…TEN!" Caesar says and he even re-checks the score list.

"What!" Darius screeches out with joy. I am gobsmacked. Of course I was hoping for a high score, but a 10?!

"Well done" Merinetta shouts.

"Nice one" Andre actually speaks to me. I am too shocked to talk about it. A 10, a freaking 10. WOW! This is both good and bad. Good becuase tributes will know i am strong. Bad, becuase I will be a main target.

The scores carry on and Thorn gets an 8. While everyone eats I am still in shock. "Very well then. It seems you both have a good score. We now need to talk about tomorrow" Andre says.

"What about it?" I ask, and then I remember that the interviews will be tomorrow. After the interviews will be launch day. It has come round so fast.

"In the morning Oak will spend his time with me, talking about his angle for the interviews. You will spend it with Merinetta, working on your posture and stage presence" he replies. Joy, a whole morning with Merinetta.

After dinner I head straight to bed and fall asleep. Today has been a long day and I can't wait for it to be over. If I could skip the interview and head straight into the games then I would. But it seems very unlikely. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

**A/N: OMG! Maple has a dark side and it is showing. Do you think Alex has made her like this? Or is it the fact that she is going to have to kill other kids to get home? Only one way to find out...keep reading.**

**Also, I see that people are reading my fic, but i am not getting many reviews. I am not saying that I wont update every day still. It would just be nice to hear, or shall I say read, your thoughts on my fic. So please send me a small comment.**


	8. Chapter 8

I wake up, once again to Merinetta banging on my door. "What"? I scream as I rise out of bed.

"Get up now. We have a big, big day ahead of us and you can't afford to sleep in" her squeaky voice shouts back. I groan before getting dressed in a simple white blouse and blue denim jeans. I pull my hair up into a ponytail before opening the door.

Merinetta is standing there looking very cross with me. I scoff before barging passed her. "I need a coffee" I say as I go and get a cup.

"And we will get to work straight after" she tells me. I just nod before adding 3 sugar cubes to the coffee and drinking it. Merinetta then leads me into her room and gets an Avox to set up to chairs. "Take a seat" she says as she sits. I do as I am told and take a seat.

"What is this all about? How will you help me?" I ask.

"Well, I am here to help you become more graceful" she replies. I take another sip of my coffee before placing it on the floor beside me.

"And how?" I ask. She doesn't talk, she just gets up and walks over to her wardrobe. She comes back with a pair of blue high heels in her hands. "Oh hell no" I almost shout while jumping out of my chair.

"You need to wear these for you interview" she says as calms as ever.

"Why?" I shout at her. I don't know why I am shouting. Maybe it is the stress of knowing that tomorrow could be my last day on earth.

"Oh calm down dear and just try them on" she says as she hands them to me. I decide to try them and as soon as I stand I fall flat on my face. I try again and only manage to take one step before falling again. "Come on dear, it isn't that hard" she squeals at me.

"Easy for you to say. You were probably born with a pair attached to your feet" I say, sarcasm evident in my voice.

"I can reassure that I most certainly was not" she replies as she helps me up. "Now, try again" she says. I do as I am told and actually manage a couple steps before falling once more. This is going to be a long day.

* * *

My feet and head are aching like hell. I have just spent 3 hours doing nothing but walking in my high heels. And to top it all off, I have had to have speech lessons with Merinetta. She taught me how to speak with a posh accent and we had a little mock interview to prepare me. I just hope that Caesar's voice isn't as irritating at Merinetta's.

I enter Andre's room and he smiles at me. I don't return it, I just take a seat. "How are you?" he asks.

"Well, I have had to spend my morning in high heels which have destroyed my feet and I have a pounding headache because of Merinetta's stupid high pitched voice. How do you think I am?" I say, voice dripping in sarcasm.

"That bad?" he asks.

"Uh-huh" I reply.

"Right, well you will be prepped for the interview after this by your prep team and Darius will fit your dress. For this hour or two, we will be working on your angle for the interviews." He says.

"What do you mean 'angle'?" I ask.

"How you will come across on stage. District one usually go for sexy or strong. District two shows there strength and so on, and so on" he says.

"Can't I just be myself?" I ask.

"You can, but you need a small angle to play. Sponsors are looking for something in you that will make them want to back you up. They want to see a fighter" he says.

"Then I will show my strength. I will show them that I am a competitor in these games and that I will fight to the very end" I say.

"That's good, but how will you show that?" he asks.

"I will tell them straight. I won't take any shit from anybody. If they want a fighter then they can have one" I say plainly, as if it was natural for it to come out.

Andre looks at me and sighs. He sure does have a lot on his hands and I will bet you any money that Oak wasn't this hard. Andre helps me in ways to show my strength and he also told me to add a little sexy to it, but I doubt I will. I am not here to sell myself like Finnick fucking Odair. He was sold after he won the 65th games and after he turned 16. I am not going to be sold, I refuse to.

"Well, looks like you are as ready as you will ever be" Andre says as he gets up. He opens the door for me and I go back to my room, hoping that I will have a couple minutes of rest.

I open the door and sigh, no such luck. Smiling at me is my prep team. Well, Cat and Carvo are. Sibley is just looking blankly at me. "Hello dear" Carvo yells.

"Carvo, calm down" Cat says as she places a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry" Carvo says before calming down a little.

"Well then, let's get to work" Sibley says as they get to work on me.

* * *

The most painful 3 hours of my life pass by and I had to fight to hold back tears. They got rid of all the hair that has grown over the past 3 days since the tribute parade. They also scrub my body down and remove layers of skin leaving me red raw. That is soon soothed by the same cream they used the first time they put me through this torture.

"All done" Sibley says, looking at me impressed.

"You look beautifull again" Cat and Carvo say simultaneously which is kinda creepy. They suddenly leave without saying another word and then Darius comes in with a clothes bag.

"Hello dear" he says as he hugs me. I cringe but smile when he looks at me. "In this bag is your outfit. I am certain that you will be beautifull" he says.

"Let's see it then" I tell him.

He unzips the bag and inside is the most beautifull dress I have ever seen. It is my favourite shade of green, a dark urban green, and is strapless. I run a hand down it and feel the silky smooth fabric under my fingers. "Wow" I mutter as I take it from him.

I just strip down naked in front of him but it doesn't seem like it fazes him. It doesn't bother me because he has already seen my naked, before the parade. I put the dress on and it stops just above my ankles and he zips me up. "Absolutely gorgeous" he says.

"You done a good job" I say as I let my ponytail loose. Darius can't wipe the smile of his face as he watches me. "What about the shoes?" I ask.

"Ahh, here you go" he says as he hands me a white box. I take it and open the box to see a pair of darker green high heels. I scowl at them but decide to put them on. To my relief, they are not so bad. Much better than the ones I had worn earlier today.

I turn to the mirror and I have my breath taken away. My hair is in curls outlining my face. My lips are a rosy red colour and the dress fits my body perfectly. The whole thing makes me look younger then I really am and I like it. "It is perfect" I say as I feel a tear form in my eye.

"Don't cry darling, you will ruin your makeup" Darius says as he hands me a tissue and uses one to wipe away his own tears. I dab at my eyes and then throw the tissue away.

"I am ready" I say and he takes me arm and leads me out of my room and to the elevator.

* * *

I come to the room behind the stage and I see all the other tributes. I spot Alex who is gorgeous, maybe even more then I am. Her black hair is in waves and her purple eyes have been brought out by some black eye liner.

She is wearing a blue dress that has one strap over her left shoulder. The dress stops halfway down her legs, showing a pair of white flats which make the whole outfit perfect. Man I envy her for wearing flats. She flashes a smile my way and I return it.

Chip is looking handsome wearing a black suite with an orange skinny tie. He nods my way and I smile at him. Thorn is also looking good, wearing a grey metallic looking suit with a black tie and black trousers. He doesn't notice me so I walk over to Oak.

Oak has on a green suite, the same colour as my dress, and has a white under shirt and a tie of the same colour green. He looks to me and I see a blush spread across his cheeks, what a little cutie. "Hi" I greet him.

"H-hello" he replies with a stutter. Even more cute! We don't talk anymore because we are all lead on stage to our chairs. Caesar sits center stage while we are seated behind him in order from district 1 to 12, girl and then boy.

Caesar then takes to the stage and the applause almost deafens me. Caesar has not changed a bit. From past games I have been forced to watch from 20 years ago and he hasn't changed. He is rocking the blue colour this year. His hair is light blue while his suite is a dark blue. "Welcome Panem to the tribute interviews" he says and even more cheers are heard. "Up first me have Glitz Vega from District One!"

The interviews go by without much attention from me. He asked Chip about an alliance and Chip replies with a 'Wait and see' comment and then his interview finished. Alex is going with the withdrawn angle. She answers with one word answers and doesn't reveal to much about herself, leaving the audience holding on for more.

After the boy from 6 finishes it is my turn. "Give it up for Maple Serena from District Seven" Caesar shouts. The crowd roars and I stand and take a deep breath. I get to the interviewing chair and stake a seat. "Hello Maple" he says.

"Hello Caesar" I reply with a fake smile.

"How do you like the Capitol?" he asks.

"Well to be honest, I do think it would be more enjoyable if it was under different circumstances" I reply. The crowd laugh like I had said a joke when I am just speaking the truth.

"I bet it would" Caesar says. "Now, about your score, a ten. Were you surprised by that score?" he asks.

"Well yes I was. I was hoping to get a high score but nothing that high. I guess the Gamemakers just liked me" I reply with a wink to the Gamemakers in the high corner.

Caesar laughs and the audience joins in, "How did you get that score?" he asks.

"Oh, if I told you that then I would have to kill you" I say, meaning every word but it was just a joke to him and the crowd.

"We wouldn't want that now would we?" he asks the audience.

"NOOOOO!" they all shout and laugh like I am some puppet show. If only I had an axe right now.

"Right, now the last question. Do you have an alliance?" he asks. I want to say yes, but I don't want the other tributes to know about it yet.

"Nope, not that I know off" I say with a fake giggle. The buzzer sounds and I stand.

"Everybody, give it up for Maple Serena" Caesar shouts. The whole square erupts with applause. They must love me. I take my seat and just wait for the interviews to be over. The games start tomorrow and I need the rest. Oak goes for the shy boy act and Thorn goes for the tough guy act. He is tough and is built like a career tribute. I am lucky to have him on our side.

We all have to stand afterwards and bow to the crowd before we are let go. All of us anti-careers get together and get an elevator to ourselves. "You were all great" I tell them.

"Thanks, you were to" Alex replies with a smile. She takes my hand a squeezes it, "Does everybody know what to do? This will be the last we see each other until the games tomorrow."

"I do"

"Me too"

"I am ready"

"Me too" I say as I give Alex a squeeze back. Chip is the first to get off and the Alex. Oak and I get off and Thorn carries on up. That night everyone celebrates but all I am thinking about is sleep. I will need it for tomorrow.

"Goodnight everyone" Oak says as he leaves. He has come out of his shell a little since I first saw him. He is no longer the shy little 15 year old, who wouldnt talk.

"I am going to bed too. I need all the sleep for tomorrow" I tell them all. They hug me and say goodnight before I make my way to my room. I strip from my dress and put on a pair of pyjama's before climbing into bed.

As I am about to fall asleep I hear my door open, "Maple, are you awake?" I hear Oak say. I sit up and he is looking upset, his eyes shining with tears.

"Yeh, come in" I tell him and pat the spot next to me. He climbs on the bed and looks at me.

"I am scared" he says and a fresh set of tears fall from his eyes. I am too but all this time I have hidden it, it isn't good to look weak in a game of kill or be killed.

"Don't worry, I will be there for you" I tell him as I wrap my arm around his shoulder. If I do die, I want him to win. He will take back food to my family. "I will help you as much as I can" I say, feeling my own tears come. I haven't cried since the day on the train and I have held in all my emotion until now.

"What if I get caught in the bloodbath?" he asks.

"You won't" I say while pulling him tighter, my silent tears falling. "I don't want you to run into it" I tell him. "I want you to run and hide. I will find you" I say. Over the past week or so, he has become a little brother figure to me. I don't want anything bad to happen to him.

"Ok" he replies and he wraps his arms around me. I hold him close and without realising I fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Awww, a little scene of Maple/Oak friendship there. I am planning on those to become even closer during the games, but remember, only one will win. We see a little more darkness from Maple in this chapter during the interview. Do you guys like the dark side of her?**

**The games will start tomorrow and I can't wait to write about them. Until then, goodbye~**


	9. Chapter 9

I look over the breakfast table to Andre who is still in a mood with me because of my outburst that happened the night of the scores. I put a piece of bacon into my mouth and force it down. I have to do this or I will be going into the arena on an empty stomach. I am so nervous that even eating is a long stretch, let alone talking.

Last night Oak came to me and I had to act like everything was OK, but I knew it wasn't. I could die today and I won't see any of my family again. Oak could die today and that will send me into an emotional spiral. Even the thought of Alex dying makes me feel sick. I have grown to like them, even Chip, who makes me laugh, and Thorn, who doesn't talk much. These are my allies and for me to win, they will have to die. It is going to be hard to watch them all die, but it has to be done.

I push my plate away, unable to eat anymore of the food. I feel like I am about to puke I am that nervous. I go over my plan in my head. Seek out my allies, when the countdown is over run to find an axe mainly. Find some supplies that will help me and my allies out and then high tail it out of there. I know that I will have to look out for my allies, and hopefully I will find Oak before somebody else does.

"Come on then Maple and Oak" Merinetta bursts into the room. "Time to go" she says. I sigh before standing and walking towards her. I see Oak frozen to his chair. I feel sorry for him, but if he does what I told him to, he will be fine. I put a hand on his shoulder and lean down.

"It's OK, just remember what I told you last night" I tell him. I feel his body loosen up under my hand and he pushes his chair out as I stand next to Merinetta again. She will take us to the roof where the hovercraft will pick us up. Andre stands and comes over to us. He talks to Oak first.

"Good luck Oak" is all he says. Oak nods before looking down, so I take his tiny hand into mine. Andre then comes to me, "Good luck to you too. Remember who your friends are and you will be OK" he says.

"I will" I reply. This is even getting me emotional. How will I cope in the arena? There will be death going on every day, I need to look strong. I can't look weak in front of my fellow tributes.

"Let's go now" Merinetta says. I turn and see she has a tear rolling down her cheeks. Oh my god, she does have emotions. I nod before following her to the elevator. Before the doors close I see Andre nod at us. Then we are shooting up to the roof.

Merinetta gives us a quick hug each before the hovercraft comes and lowers a ladder. I step onto the ladder and something freezes me in place and picks me up. When I got into the flying machine I start to panic. The hatch that I came up in has closed and left Oak below.

"Don't worry, he will get the next one. We like to split up the tributes so we carry 12 in each hovercraft" a female attendant tells me. I look around and see only 6 others, we must still be waiting on 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. I spot Chip a couple of seats away from me and he smiles at me. I return it before looking away. The same woman asks me for my arm. I give it to her and she injects something into it. I wince a little at the pain and look at her, "It is your tracker so they can keep track of you" she says before walking away.

The hatch opens again and 5 other people come in. I notice the 15 year old from 12 who somehow impressed the careers enough to join them. I wonder what she is good at. They take a seat and get there trackers implanted before the hovercraft starts moving. Nobody says anything because either they are a heartless career or they are scared. I am just too scared to say anything.

The hours fly by and before I know it I am being lowered into the catacombs of the arena from where I will launch. I am led through a maze of halls to a room where I see Darius waiting. The room is all white and reminds me of a hospital. "Hello dear" he says. I can see he is upset because his eyes are glistening with tears.

"Hi" I reply as he pulls me into a hug. We don't say much else after that. He shows me my arena outfit which is a thin, black t-shirt and a pair of dark green, the same green that my interview dress was, tight fitted jeans. I also have a pair of black running shoes but no socks. I wonder why. He then hands me my silver necklace with the half a heart on it. This half a heart only fits another half and that is Ally's, my best friend of all time.

"You have thirty seconds until launch" comes a robotic voice from the speakers set in the corners of the room. I turn and see a metal plate that has the number 7 on it. Darius leads me over and I reluctantly stand on the plate. As soon as I do a glass tube lowers down over me, preventing my escape. I start to panic and place my hands on the glass. I am going to die, I know it. The next five or so minutes of my life are going to be my last. I am not ready to die, not yet. What will Venia do without me? What will dad, Fern and gran do? I don't want them to see me die.

The plate starts to rise and I see Darius mouth 'Good luck' before he is taken from my sight. All I see now is darkness. That lasts for about 30 seconds, but seems like forever, and then the bright light of the sun hits my eyes. I cover them and wait for my eyes to adjust. I reach for my necklace and start to panic. This is it. My time to die. I tighten my grip on the heart pendent and sigh just as the golden glint of the cornucopia comes into view.

* * *

**A/N: Hahahahaha, I bet you were all waiting for me to start the games this chapter…well no. I will start them next chapter because the description of the cornucopia takes up a lot of space and I didn't want to get over 2000 words. Please review and until next time folks~**


	10. Chapter 10

The cornucopia is seriously packed out. I see weapons al all sorts, some I haven't even seen or heard of before. The cornucopia is 40 yards ahead of everyone. The further the supplies spread out, the less convenient they seem. I look around and see that we are in crater. We are in a giant grater in which we have to climb out of.

The sun is shining but I am still getting Goosebumps. I turn to my left and see the girl from 5 is there. To my right is the male from 10. I see Alex further across the crater and she nods at me. Chip is 3 spaces to my left but I can't see Oak or Thorn. Maybe they are on the other side of the cornucopia.

The ground is just mud, which seems easy enough to run on. I don't see any stones that you can trip up over so that is good. "Welcome tributes" booms Claudius Templesmith's voice. It startles me and I almost fall backwards. That wouldn't be good, I would have been blown sky high, "Welcome to the one-hundredth annual hunger games and may the odds be ever in your favour. Let the games BEGIN!" he shouts and the countdown starts.

I have 60 seconds to look for an axe. 60 seconds to figure out what to do. I look over to Alex and she looks as if she is ready to go into the bloodbath. I just hope Oak doesn't and he takes me advice to run away. I scan the supplies and I see the shiny silver blade of an axe, right in the mouth of the cornucopia. I line up my sight and see that there is a small red bag a couple of meters in front of me. If I am going for the axe, that would be good too.

Only a couple of seconds left and I take a look at all of the other tributes. Some are shaking but the careers are looking as smug as ever. I can't wait until we kill them. If they do kill us I at least want to take out some of them.

5

This is it…

4

3

Time to get ready…

2

I am ready…

1

0

I leap forward and pick up the red bag and sling it over my right shoulder and carry on running. All chaos breaks loose all around me, but I have one goal. Get the axe. But then I see the metal axe get picked up by Glitz from 1. No! That was my only chance of survival!

I don't have time to think because the killing has already started. I turn to my right and I spot a hunters knife a little ways across the dirt. I run and dive for it, but then I am tackled to the side. I look up and see the boy from 10. He has his hands wrapped around my throat and I feel the air leaving my lungs.

It feels as though my throat is on fire and so I try to scratch at his face, but his head is too far away. Then I see the glint of the hunter's knife and so I stretch out my hand. I start to feel light headed as my life is slowly strangled away. I was right, I am going to die here. Right in this spot by this boy. I never even got to take out any of the careers.

I close my eyes but then I hear an 'oof' from the boy and his hands slip of my throat. I open my eyes and gasp for air. I see Thorn standing over me. He helps me up and then it turn, grab the knife and make my way over to the District 10 boy.

I feel my body fill with rage for nearly being killed. The boy is just getting up and is holding his stomach. Thorn must have kicked him. I grab him by his hair from behind and he lets out a shout. "No, please don't" he shouts but I grip the handle of my new knife and run the cold metal across his throat, opening a deep gash.

"You should have used the knife, it could have saved you" I whisper into his ear and then push his body forward. He is gasping for air but it is useless. He is as good as dead. I turn to Thorn who has a blank expression, "Let's go" I shout.

I turn around and I see the careers picking of the tributes, one by one. I see Alex running towards us with Chip and Oak. Alex has a small sword, Chip has a black bag and Oak has a small dagger. It looks like Oak ran into the bloodbath.

I turn with Thorn and all 5 of us run towards the walls of the crater. We scale them without saying anything. I use the blade to help me up and out before looking around. Up ahead is a forest so I start to run towards it. I hear their footsteps behind me so I know they are following.

We enter the trees and just keep running for an hour until we are all worn out. We stop at a little clearing that has a fallen log. We all sit behind the log, out of view in case the careers come hunting. I am out of breath and panting hard. I look around my group and they are all looking at each other.

Alex is first to speak, "Did any of you kill?" she asks. I see the face of the boy I killed. He was 2 years younger than me and looked just as scared. I see blood on Alex's sword and know she has killed or at least injured. She looks at my dagger and nods, "Who?" she asks me.

"District ten male" I reply as I stare at the dirt in front of me. "What about you?" I ask her.

"I haven't killed. I stabbed the girl from 12 in the stomach then ran, but she was still fighting afterwards" Alex replied.

"Oh…" I reply. So I am the only one of us who has killed. This makes me feel sick and before I can move I vomit to the side of me. I can't get the boy's face out of my head.

"Are you alright?" Thorn asks. I nod before pushing my hair back. I sit up and wipe my mouth. I look to Oak who has tears in his eyes. I move over to him, putting the knife in my belt. I pull him close to me and he wraps his arms around me.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh" I say as I rock Oak in my arms. I look to the other 3, "How are we going to take down the careers?" I ask.

"We should wait until tonight to see who appears in the sky. Right now I think we should check out bags" Chip says as he takes his off. I do the same, my bag being small than his. He opens his and smiles, "We have a full bottle of water. A small bottle of iodine and a thin sleeping bag. What about you?" he asks me.

I open my bag and empty its contents on the forest floor. A bag of dried meat falls out. A bag of crackers and a pack of fruit follow and then an empty flask, "So we need to look for water" I say.

"Well then, let's go" Alex says as she stands. We all nod, but I turn to Oak.

"Are you alright now?" I ask. He nods before I put the items back in the bag and sling it over my shoulder. We then begin to head down hill in search of water.

* * *

**A/N: YAY! The games have started and Maple has already killed. What do you think this will do to her? Will it make her stronger? Or will it make her weaker? To find out, keep on reading~**


	11. Chapter 11

As sigh as I wipe the sweat of my forehead. We have been walking for hours now and we still haven't found any water. At first we were certain we were close, but all we found was a dried up pond. Now I have Oak whining every five minutes about how thirsty he is. We are all thirsty, but some of us just know how to keep it in.

I have even had to hold back Alex from killing Oak because of his constant whining. "I am so thirsty" Oak says as he drags his feet.

"Oh my god" Alex said as she turned around, "Shut the hell up!" she yelled at Oak. Oak flinched back and went for his dagger. I see Alex grab hold of her sword handle.

"Enough" I shout. They all turn to me. "Oak, just shut up about being thirsty. We all are and whining about it won't help" I tell him. He lowers his dagger and nods. "And Alex, just calm down a little. I know it is hot out and we only have about a cap full of water left, but if we start turning on each other we will not be able to take down the careers" I say with dominance in my voice.

Alex just turns around, still holding her sword. I see that Chip and Thorn have started to walk on so I push Oak forward and we all keep walking. This is going to be a long day.

* * *

It is sunset now and we have just found sign of water. The ground is damp which means that the soil has become wet somehow. "Over here guys" I hear Chip yell and we all run towards him. He is standing by a little stream that is running through a little clearing.

"Finally" Oak says as he runs towards the water. He gulps it down, not worrying about bacteria or anything. For a 15 year old, he sure does act like a little kid.

"This looks like a good place to rest for the night aswel" Thorn says. I take a look around and see a rock formation that is formed like a hanger. That would be a good place to sleep in case of rain, very unlikely. There is also moss on the ground which would be a good cushion for rest.

"I agree" I reply. After filling up our water bottle and canteen and adding a drop of iodine in each one. Then we had to think about food, "I think we should split. I will go with Thorn and Alex and Chip" I say.

"What about me?" Oak asks.

"We need you to stay at camp, if anyone comes, grab our stuff and hide until one of us get back" I say.

"OK, let's go" I say as I turn and leave. I feel bad about leaving Oak, but he will only slow us down and we need food today. Thorn and I stealthily walk between the trees. I have my knife out in case we run into either a tribute or an animal. I am hoping for a squirrel or a rabbit because I can easily take them down, but if it is a deer or something big, I would need an axe. And because some stupid idiot took the axe I was aiming for, I have to make do with a hunting knife.

We don't stray too far from camp because we don't want to get lost. Thorn and I are silent, just the way I like it. He isn't much of a talker anyway so it's fine. As I step behind a tree with Thorn right behind me, I hear a twig snap to my left.

I look around the tree and see a squirrel scurrying up a tree about 15 feet away. Perfect! I lock on to the squirrel and then let my knife fly through the air. It stabs the squirrel in the back before the poor animal couldn't even react. "Got ya" I whisper as I jolt out and run over to it.

I pick it up and turn to Thorn, "What do you think?" I ask as I show him the skewered animal. It is a big one but it won't be enough to feed all 5 of us.

"We may need another one or two" he replies and I nod. We get looking for more. Suddenly cannons started firing, signalling the deaths of the tributes. There are 9 cannons which means the bloodbath is over. 9 people dead in the space of 4 or 5 hours.

* * *

I am pretty pleased with my catch. I have found 2 squirrels and one small rabbit. We will be eating well tonight. Thorn and I get back to camp to see Oak, Alex and Chip sitting around a small fire. "Look what I caught" I say as I hold up the two squirrels by the tail and the rabbit by the ears.

"Sweet" Oak said as he begins to drool.

"How?" Alex asks.

"Didn't I tell you I am good with a knife?" I ask rhetorically. She smiles and shakes her head. "We found some berries, but wanted to bring them back for you to identify. You seemed good at that in training" Alex says as she lays the berries on a flat rock. I move over and look at them. I pick up the small black ones and sigh.

"These are nightlock. One drop of the juices and you will be dead in a minute" I tell them. Alex gulps and Chip smiles at her. "What?" I ask him.

"She went to eat one, but I was smart enough to get her to wait" he replies. I look to Alex and shake my head.

"Don't ever try that again, it can't be good if you die on us" I tell her and she smiles at me. "The rest are good though" I tell them. I was my hands from the canteen water and then take a drink myself before filling it back up and adding a drop of iodine.

I go over to my catches and start to skin the animals as best as I can. We get some good meat from the squirrels but the rabbit was mostly bone. We cook them on sticks and eat the berries and drink water. It is not bad for the first night in the arena.

By the time we have finished dinner we are all tired so we decide to sleep after they have shown today's deaths. As if on cue, the anthem plays throughout the arena and then the capitol seal shows. After that the faces comes and I make a mental note on them.

D5 Female

Seems as though all the careers survived and little Micro Stellar from district 3 which is surprising.

D6 Male

D8 Female

D9 Male, Female

D10 Male Female

D11 Female

I see Thorn frown at this. He must have known her back home.

D12 Male

Yeh seems as though the careers survived which is disappointing. I was hoping for the two outer district careers to die. There are 5 of us and 8 of them, not very even odds. The seal disappears and we fall into darkness again.

"Who is taking first watch?" Oak asks. I look around and stop of thorn who has sighed.

"I will" he says plainly, with no expression. He must want time to go through what has happened to his district partner. I nod and pat his shoulder on my pass him. I first wash of my knife in the stream and then I find a good place to sleep. As soon as I lay down, all of the emotion and exhaustion of the day comes and I fall fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N: So, here is the first day in the arena ****over. What do you guys think? The games may start of slow because, not all the deaths will happen right away. Seems like all the anti-careers are alive, but so are all the careers. Will this be bad news? Most likely. I will see you all next time and rememb****er to review~**


	12. Chapter 12

I wake to Alex shaking me. She is looking over me and I see it is still dark "What?" I groan.

"Your turn to watch" she says with a yawn.

"OK" I say as I sit up. She smiles before yawning and falling asleep next to me. I stand and stretch my stiff bones. I am beginning to ache from the running yesterday. I take a bottle of water and stake a seat on the rock formation which I have dubbed 'The Hanger' and take a sip of the water.

I wonder what the day will bring. Who will die? There are 15 of us left and a lot die of in the first couple days because they haven't found water or food. The ones who make it a week are the survivors and that's when the real games begin.

Though this isn't always the situation. I remember being forced to watch a recap of the 76th games. The games were over within 4 days. I think that was to teach the districts discipline after the second failed rebellion.

I take another sip and then I set the bottle down. I look up and see the stars still shining through the leaves. I wonder what time it is. It can't be much longer until sunrise. Even at night it is warm. I wonder if the Gamemakers will get us all used to the warm weather and drop the temperature drastically to see if we can cope with it. No, it take that back. I don't want to jinx anything.

How long will it be until we put our plan in action and take out the careers? Or at least try. We should see what happens tomorrow, because if we want to make sure us outer district tributes, minus 12 and 8, stand a chance. We need to do it fast.

Snap!

I spin my head and I hear footsteps. There seems to only be one pair, so I grab my knife and get up. I creep towards the steps and find a small figure strolling alone. I get a closer looks and notice that it is Micro from 3. Her eyes look tired and she looks like she would faint any second now.

She doesn't seem to have a weapon, but she does have a bag. I keep my knife out for precaution before stepping out of hiding. "Hey" I whisper. She freezes and then spins around, her face looking horrified.

"No, don't kill me" she shouts.

"Be quiet, I am not going to kill you" I tell her. She nervously looks at my knife so I slip it into my belt. "Are you thirsty?" I ask her.

"Yes, I haven't had a drink since before the launch" she replies, seeming a little more comfortable now.

"Do you have a bottle?" I ask.

"Yes, but I haven't found any water" she replies as she takes a bottle out of her bag.

"Let me go and get you some" I say. She hesitantly passes me the bottle so I go back to camp and fill it up before adding a drop of iodine. Her bottle is bigger than ours so it should last a while. I head back and see her chewing on a piece of dried meat. "Here you go" I say as I hand her the bottle. "You will have to wait half an hour for the iodine to rid it of any toxins, but it should be fine after that."

"Thank you so much" she says as she puts the bottle in her bag. She turns and walks off. I want to invite her to stay, but if we are going to attack the careers, she is too defenceless to escape. She would die and I can't have that on my conscience as well as the boy I killed yesterday.

I head back to camp and take a seat on the rock again. I look down at the faces of my allies. Each one seems to be a peace in their sleep. I wonder if these people will haunt me when they die. Because they will die for me to get home. What about home? Will everyone still support me if I win? Will Venia see me as a sister or a monster? This alone brings on tears. I wipe them away and look to the sky once more.

BOOM!

It startles me at first because it is still dark. I wonder who it was. Was it Micro? Did she walk into another tributes path? I won't know until tonight now. I take another sip of water before looking to the sky again. I wonder what the day will bring!

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter is short, but I just ran out of things to write while she is taking watch. The chapters will return to normal next time. until then~**


	13. Chapter 13

The sun is beating down and I swear that it is hotter than it was yesterday. I hear birds but I don't see any and it seems as though the stream has shrunken since yesterday.

"So, what is our plan?" Alex asks as she pops a berry into her mouth. I look up to face her.

"First we need to find the careers, after that, we can start planning on how to attack them" I reply.

BOOM!

"There goes the first kill of the day" Chip says.

"No, there was one this morning" I reply, "I heard it while I was on watch." This brings up the memory of Micro from last night. In a way I do hope it was her, because that way she is safe from Panem forever.

"Oh, well second death then" Chip says.

"Well, let's pack up and get a move on" Alex says as she pockets some berries. I nod before filling up my canteen and adding a drop of iodine. Chip does the same and we all head out in the direction of the cornucopia.

* * *

It is hours until we finally see the edge of the forest. We made markers on the trees, something that only we 5 would recognise, so we can find our way back to the stream.

The air has cooled a lot since this morning and we still have half of the big canteen left. "Why are we going back to the cornucopia?" Oak asks, seeming weary.

"Because, if the careers are going to be anywhere, then they will be at the cornucopia" Alex replies. Oak nods and begins to walk faster with the rest of us. I see the hill that surrounds the crater where it all started.

"Stop" I tell them all. They do and turn to me with questioning faces, "We only need one person to go. If we all do and they are there, we could get caught and then what will we do? We will be dead before we can even form a plan" I say.

"Oak, you go" Alex says. It seems as though she really hates the kid.

"Why me?" Oak asks, trembling a little.

"I agree. Oak is the smallest and he will be the least recognisable" Chip says. He does have a point. It would be pretty damn hard to spot him. I turn to Oak and kneel in front of him.

"I don't want to go" he says.

"I know, but we need to see if they are there. It will be scary, but I promise that if you get caught I will come straight to help" I tell him. He stills looks hesitant but he nods his head.

"OK" he replies. He starts to make his way over and it doesn't take him long. I feel my heart rate pick up as he crawls to the top of the hill. I am so worried for the little guy and I have a bad feeling that something is going to happen.

He looks back at us and stands up he waves his arms and nods his head. Then my eyes widen is horror. I see it as if it is in slow motion. I see the axe fly into his back and he rolls to the bottom of the hill.

"NO!" I shriek before running my fastest towards him. I skid across the dirt on my knees and hold him in my arms. "Fuck" I shout as I see the axe imbedded in his spine. I feel tears rolling down my cheek and everything goes numb.

"M-maple" he stutters. "I am s-s-scared."

"Shh, shh" I tell him. "It will be fine" I whisper.

"P-please win" he says before I see his eyes close. A cannon booms and my world goes quiet. Why? Why did it have to be him? Why did he stand up? He is only a kid and he has been taken from this world. I hear a screaming and it takes a while to realise it is me who is screaming.

I look to the axe and I feel as though a flame ignites in me, melting away the ice that has just frozen my body. I grip the handle and pull it out. I look down at the lifeless 15 year old, lying in his own blood, and a tear drops onto his cheek. "I promise" I whisper before standing up.

"Look what we have here." I look up and see the smirk of Glitz from one. She is soon joined by the other careers, minus the girl from 12. Maybe Alex did kill her.

"Maple!" shouts Alex from behind. But I ignore her. This is her fault. She came up with the idea of sending Oak to see if the careers were there. She killed Oak and I am not about to start listening to her. Instead, I look to Glitz. She was the one who took the axe at the cornucopia. She was the one who took Oak out. She was number one on my list to kill.

"I will end you!" I scream at the top of my lungs to Glitz. She just smirks at this and the other careers do to. You won't be smirking when I chop that pretty little head of your shoulders.

But now isn't the time. We need to escape and plan for our attack, so I do what I know best. I run back towards the forest. I pass Alex, Chip and Thorn on the way and they soon follow me. It doesn't seem as though the careers are chasing us which is weird. They would usually do anything to kill.

I follow the marks on the trees and after two hours of non-stop running I get back to our camp, soon followed by the others. "Maple, I am so sorry" I hear Alex.

"Don't" I mutter as I turn around, "Just don't" I have the urge to just take her out…but I won't. I need her and the others to take down the careers.

"What?" she asks.

"It was you. You have always hated Oak. You were hesitant to let him join us. You were always glaring at him and you turned on him more than once" I shout. I take a step towards her and I see her hand go onto her sword handle. "I bet you were hoping for him to get caught. That must have been the reason why you chose him to go and check on the careers." I feel my body feel with rage and I just want to cut off her fucking head. I grip the handle of my axe and I am doing all I can to not kill this bitch.

I raise it and she pulls out her sword, but I get control and turn and chuck the axe into a nearby tree. I storm away before I actually do kill her. When I wondered what today would bring, I didn't think it would have brought this.

* * *

**A/N: Oh noooooo! Oak is dead and Maple is blaming it on Alex. It was kind of Alex's fault and she has always had it in for the little kid, but I didn't even see Oak dying then. My fingers were thinking for me at that point. But this could be seen as a positive thing. This way, Maple is prepared to kill. Before, she wasn't sure of herself, but now she is. Oak's death has pushed her to fight, and she will.**

**Also, the last two chapters, I havnt gotten any reviews. I can kind of understand, with it being christmas an all, but people have been reading them. I am not saying I wont keep uploading once a day (sometimes twice) but it will be nice to log on in the morning and see some reviews for me to read.**

**So, keep sending them in. Until next time~**


	14. Chapter 14

I sigh as I look into the sky. I am sitting on The Hanger with silent tears rolling down my cheeks. Poor Oak, he was so young and yet he has been taken from life. He didn't deserve this, none of us do, really. We are all just trying to get home.

The sky lights up with the Capitol seal and the anthem booms through the arena. The first face to show is the girl from 5. Then it is Oak. His innocent face that will never be seen again. My heart aches for him, he was like a little brother and I felt the need to protect him. His face disappears and I let out a sob for him. "I am sorry" I whimper as I pull me knees up to my chest. The last person to show is the girl from 12, the outer district career tribute. I wonder if the other careers killed her after finding out she was injured by Alex. At least that is one career down for us.

"Are you ok?" I turn and see Thorn coming to sit next to me.

"Not really, but I will live" for as long as I can. "He was just so young and defenceless" I say before feeling fresh tears come. I feel Thorn shift next to me and then a hand on my shoulder.

"He is in a better place now" he says. That is true, he will no longer have to live in Panem. He will be safe up in heaven. This doesn't make the pain go away though. I still feel hatred towards both Glitz and Alex. "You go sleep and I will keep watch" he says. I turn to look at him and his blue eyes lock onto mine.

"Thank you" I reply before wiping my tears and make my way down the hanger and under it. I lay my head down and sigh before closing my eyes.

* * *

"_Maple!"_

"_Oak?"_

"_Maple, help me!"_

"_Oak, where are you?"_

_I look around the field I am standing in. Bodies litter the ground and the grass is stained red. I notice that all the bodies are the dead tributes. "OAK!" I scream at the top of my lungs._

"_Over here" I hear his voice to my right. I turn and then my eyes widen. He is staring at me, his face void of emotion. Then I see Glitz come up behind him, axe in hand._

"_Oak, behind you" I shout but it is too late. The axe flew through the air and lunged into Oak's spine. "NO!" I screech and run to Oak. A pool of blood has gathered around him and he is shaking._

"_Maple" she says._

"_Oak, I am sorry" I mutter._

"_M-maple, b-b-behind, y-you…Alex" he stutters. Before I can turn, I feel a hand on my hair and a blade on my throat._

"_Say goodnight" I hear Alex. She swipes the blade across my throat and my body becomes numb. I fall to the floor and close my eyes waiting for my life to be over._

* * *

"No!" I shout as I shoot up. Sweat is beading down my face and my shirt is damp with it. I pull my knees up to my chest and let out a sob, "Why Oak? Why him?" I cry. I look to the others and I notice that Thorn and Chip are asleep, which means Alex is on watch.

I feel sorry for blaming Alex. She was the one who volunteered for Oak to check, but she didn't know that Oak was going to stand up and wave. She didn't know if the careers were there. I too sent Oak to the hill, so I can't blame Alex for anything.

I make my way out from under the Hanger and see Alex sitting on top. I climb on top and sit next to her. It feels awkward and none of us talk for a while. But then she brakes the silence, "Maple I am sorry" hear her say.

"No, you don't need to be" I reply. "You weren't to know the careers were there. I too sent Oak to the crater. It was none of our faults, it was Glitz" I say.

"Sure enough, I weren't too fond of the kid, but I didn't want him dead. I know that sounds weird, seeing as how we are in the hunger games, but I didn't want him dead" she says.

I take her hand and squeeze it, "He was just too young to die" I say, feeling tears come.

"I know…but we have to take out the careers. There are eleven of us left, our group, the careers and the little girl from three" she says. I feel a pang of guilt knowing that the girl was out there all alone.

"So when do we attack?" I ask.

"As soon as. I suggest we look for a water source, closer to the careers. No doubt we might die, but if we can manage to take then down with us then at least somebody from the outer districts will win" she says. I nod before resting my head on her shoulder.

* * *

When morning comes it is even hotter. It feels like the Gamemakers are trying to roast us. I can feel myself getting sun burn, aswel as the others. I have stripped from my shirt and I am just in my bra. I see Chip blush as I do this and Thorn tries his best to not look.

"That looks like a good idea" Alex says and copies me. Chip blushed even more and I see Thorn look at both of us before averting his gaze.

"Erm, I-im going to find some, erm…berries. Yeh, berries" Chip says and I can't help but giggle at his nervousness as he scrambles to his feet and walks away.

"Yeh, I will join you" Thorn says before following him.

"Awww, bless them" Alex says as she splashes water over her face. The stream has defiantly started to dry up, so we will have to move anytime soon.

"Let's go hunt, I can't sit around here doing nothing" I tell Alex. She nods and we get up, grab a bottle of water and head off.

* * *

It has been an hour since we left camp and we have not yet caught anything. We have found a couple of berries along the way and Alex got me to check them before we ate. Some were poisonous, but none were deadly. The ones that were not poisonous were delicious.

Snap!

"Did you here that?" Alex whispers as we freeze in the spot. I grip the axe handle and I see Alex grab her sword. I can hear voices not too far away and heading towards us.

"Get into a tree, now" I tell her. She nods and I scale a tree within a minute, but Alex is a little longer. We wait for about 5 minutes and then I see them. The duo from district 4 walking towards our tree.

The boy has a spear and the girl has two daggers. "I can't believe we escaped" the girl said excitedly.

"Calm down Bass" the boy replied, "They could still find us and with just the two of us they will kill us" he says.

"Sorry Hook" Bass replied as she leaned against the tree Alex and I are in. "What now?" Bass asked.

"We look for that other alliance. If we kill them, then we take more out of the running" Hook replied.

So they want to kill us. I won't let them find us. I shuffle a little quietly towards the edge of the branch we are on, "What are you doing?" Alex whispers.

"Taking down the careers, what do you think" I whisper back before carrying on. I am above the boy now, concealed by the leaves. Little does he know that his life is about to end. I raise my axe and then let it free-fall. The metal blade digs into his head and blood splatters everywhere.

The girl screams so I jump down, pull the axe out and hearing his cannon boom in the distance. "You bitch" she screams as she charges at me with her daggers. She lunges at me but I jump out the way, but not far enough because I feel pain shoot through me as her dagger cuts a deep gash in my side.

"Alex" I shout and then see her jump from the tree with her sword raised.

The girl looks scared and seems to be a year or so older than me, but she is smaller. "I will kill you both and then I will kill the other two" she screams as she runs at me again. I hold my side but manage to jump out the way. She heads towards Alex who uses the sword to block the attack.

I run and grab Bass's hair. I pull it as hard as I can and she screams as she falls to the floor. I am about to kill her but then I see Alex's sword enter Bass's body. The sword is in her chest over her heart. The cannon booms and they are 2 careers down. 5 more to go.

We take their weapons and their bags before leaving so they can collect their bodies. I walk back to camp feeling numb. I don't feel remorse for killing them. They were careers and deserved it. I am feeling numb from the gash in my side. It is the first major injury I have had in the games. I am certain it won't be my last.

We get back and find Thorn and Chip looking at us worried. "We heard the cannons" Chip said as he stood up. "We thought you died" he says as he looks at us.

"You killed?" Thorn asks.

"The duo from four" I say plainly. I look down and see blood dripping of my axe. I have killed 2 people within 3 days. I wonder how long the games will go on. Will they bring us together now? We are the final 10. They will be waiting for us and the career group to start splitting up soon. But before we do, we need to kill the careers, or go down trying.

"We also have weapons for you two" Alex says as she drops the two daggers and the spear on the floor in front of Chip and Thorn. "They were what district four had on them" she adds on.

I take a seat and look through the bag I took of the boy. Inside was a half empty canteen, a bag of fruit and nuts. A pair of sun glasses, a small dagger and a first aid kit. "Not bad" I say as I show the others. I try the sun glasses, hoping they are night vision glasses, but they aint. They are just plain old sun glasses.

"Are you hurt?" Thorn asks. I turn to him and then look down at my bloody wound.

"Oh, I guess I am" I chuckle nervously. He gets up and walks over to me before taking the first aid kit and getting to work my wound. If I thought the pain from the prep-team was bad. This is ten times worse. As he stitches me up, pain shoots through my and I have to bite down on my arm to stop from screaming out.

When he is finished he puts padding over the wound and then goes to wash his hands. "Thank you Thorn" I tell him and he smiles at me. I turn to Chip and Alex, who are talking about different strategies. I can't help but smile. This is my family. My own little family. Yet, they will all have to die.

I turn my head and let the tears fall. It has been a long day and we have an even longer one ahead. Tomorrow is the day of deciding. Will we rise victorious or will the careers?

* * *

**A/N: The games are drawing to a close and there will be a big fight scene next chapter between the careers and ant****i-careers. There will be a lot of deaths and I promise I will make it the best chapter yet.**


	15. Chapter 15

It is time. We have been walking for hours, all of us ready to fight the careers. A cannon boomed this morning and I am hoping that is was Micro, because this could be the finale and if I make it out alive, I don't want to have to kill her. "Is everyone ready?" Alex asks.

"I am" I reply.

"Me to" Chip and Thorn reply at the same time. Chip has chosen the daggers because he is pretty fast and Thorn has chosen the spear, mainly because he is stronger than Chip.

I see the edge of the forest and can see the crater. As I am about to step out I see a silver parachute fly down. Attached to it is another axe. I am shocked when it does come down and can't move. So Thorn picks it up and reads the little note attached. "You will need all the help you can get. A" Thorn says. He hands it to me and I grip it in my left hand.

"Let's get going" I say, feeling a boost of confidence from the axe. I have a good chance at winning now. I no longer doubt myself. We get closer and closer to the hill that surrounds the crater, when a thought crosses my mind. "Stop" I tell them.

"Why?" Alex asks.

"Because, if we are at the top of the hill, we have a god chance at getting killed off by them. We need to bring them towards us" I tell them.

"So we need to make some noise, that easy enough" Alex said. Her face changes from her usual smile to an evil look, "You bitch" she screams and startles me. She tackles me to the ground and I am too shocked to respond. "Play along" she whispers. Now I get it, she is causing a commotion so the careers will catch us.

"Get the hell off of me" I shout my loudest.

"Just stop it" Chip shouts as he too clocks onto what we are doing. He grabs Alex by her arms and drags her of me. I jump and slap her across the face. She is stunned by then she smiles at me.

"Nice touch" she says and winks. I smile before going to tackle her, but then Thorn grabs me and holds me back.

"You killed him" I shout again. She knows what I am talking about and shakes her head.

"No, it was that bitch career" she screams back. I see in my corner on top of the hill. All the careers are standing there, minus Barian from 2. The boy from 8 seems to be leading them, which is strange, and he has a mace in his hand. Glitz has another axe which she must have found inside the cornucopia. Knives Chow from district 2 has a katana which is stained with blood. The final career, Glamour, from district 1 is holding a giant sword in his hand. All of them look like they are ready to kill us.

"They are here" I whisper and I do one last thing to draw their attention. I get loose and grab Alex by the hair, "I am so sorry" I whisper into her ear. She screams but nods the same time.

"Let's get them" I hear the guy from 8 yell. I let go of Alex and see them charging at us. I see Chip hold out his knives and Thorn holds up his spear. I pick up my axes that fell on the floor when Alex tackled me and Alex holds out her sword.

It is the 4 careers vs us 4 anti-careers. When they reach us, all hell breaks loose as we start fighting. I swing my axe at Knives head, but she ducks and cuts my arm with her katana. The adrenaline in me causes me to forget about the pain and just fight.

I am after Glitz and I see her fighting with Chip who is having a hard time against the blonde bitch. I run, duck under a swing of the district 8 boy's mace and then grab Glitz by her hair. She screams but I don't let go. I pull out my dagger from my belt and cut of her ponytail. She squeals this time.

"No!" she screams as her hands go to the back of her head. She swings her fist and I hear a crack as her fist connects with my nose. I let out a cry of pain as I feel blood gushing out of my now, broken nose. She smirks before tackling me to the ground

She pins down my arms with her legs and then smirks at me even more, "Looks like district 7 will be out of the running this year" she says as she pulls a knife from her belt. My eyes widen in horror, because this is how I am going to die. She killed Oak and now she is going to kill me.

"Maple!" I hear Chip shout as Glitz gets ready to kill me. I close my eyes, knowing this is the end. Pain radiates through me as her knife enters my left arm. The cold metal, digging deeper and deeper into my flesh. The cold comes and goes quickly and when I open my eyes I see Chip holding back Glitz.

She kicks and thrashes, but Oak is strong and she doesn't seem to be able to escape. I react quickly, I grab an axe and charge towards Glitz. I swing for her head, but she ducks and then kicks Chip in the groin. Chip lets out a moan and lets her go before falling backwards.

Glitz turns and throws her own axe. It is over in seconds. One second Chip is just getting up and the next he is on the floor with an axe in his head. Both pain and rage fill my body as I let out a scream and run full force into Glitz, tackling her to the ground.

I drop the axe and grab the knife. She doesn't have time to react as I pierce her flesh over and over again with the knife. Opening holes all over her beautifull body. She screeches, but this just gets me more excited. She deserves this. She killed Oak and Chip and now she is going to pay.

Her body jolts in all directions, making me fall off of her. I look to her body, all the holes leaking blood over the grass. I grab my axe and walk over to her. "This is for Oak" I whisper before raising the axe, aiming for her throat. With a thud, her head roles along the grass. And her cannon sound's off in the distance.

I look up to the rest who are still fighting. Alex is fighting Glamour, with a dead Knives lying face down on the grass with a deep gash in the back of her head. Alex looks pretty damaged, but so does Glamour. Both of their swords clash together, creating sparks.

I turn to see Thorn fighting the district 8 guy. 8 seems to be winning this, and I know I need to help out. I pull out my knife and run up behind 8 and jump onto his back. He is startled and starts thrashing around, but I hold on and dig the knife into his arm. Her lets out a cry before managing to throw me off. I fall onto the grass with a thud, knocking the wind out of me.

As I do this I see 8 come up to me and his foot connects with my jaw. He then starts throwing punches and my body becomes numb. Black dots fill my vision and before I know it, I am out. The last thing I hear is a cannon. I am dead.

* * *

**A/N: OMG! Is this is? Is Maple dead? You will have to see in the next chapter.**

**Also, big thanks to 'CyanideMuffins7' who gave me a lot of help with this chapter. And thanks to all you reviewers who have kept me going through this story. What did you guys think about this chapter? Was the death of Glitz good enough for ya'll? Tell me what you think.**

**Until next time~**


	16. Chapter 16

"Maple!"

My head is pounding and my mind is foggy.

"Come on Maple!"

Am I dead? Was that my cannon that sounded? No, it can't have been. Why am I in so much pain if I am dead?

"Please Maple!"

I can hear her sob. I feel something fall on my cheek. Something wet and it is rolling down my face. I push and push to get back to the surface. I need to get out of this nightmare. Somebody is calling me and they need me. I force an eye open and I see black hair and purple eyes.

"A-Alex?" I murmur.

"Maple, come on" I hear her plead. My vision becomes clear and I see Alex smiling at me with tears in her eyes. She has a gash above her left eye and a bruise on her right cheek.

"W-what happened?" I ask, feeling my body coming back to me. I try to move but pain shoots through me.

"Don't move" she says as she holds me down, "You are hurt. Eight stabbed a knife into your side. Just stay still while I fix you up" she says.

I hear a trickle of water and I realise we are back at the stream. I turn my head, which sends pain through my whole being. "W-who, d-d-died?" I ask. She doesn't reply though. It must mean that Chip and Thorn are dead.

Suddenly the anthem plays and the seal shows up. I haven't even realised that it was dark out. The first face to show is Glamour and then that is followed by Glitz. Then knives and Chip. I feel more rage fill me as Chip's face shows up. It makes me want to kill Glitz over and over again. The last face to show is Thorn. This sends hurt through me more than the other deaths, excluding Oak. Thorn, though quiet, was there for me when Oak died. He made me feel better and now he was dead.

"Alright, I am going to stitch you up now" I hear Alex. As soon as the needle enters my skin I let out an inhumane scream. The pain is unbearable and I have to bite my arm to stop the screaming.

After 10 or so minutes, Alex is done and I feel dizzy once more. I still feel pain, but not as much. "T-thank y-you" I mutter as I feel darkness overcome me once more.

* * *

I wake to the sound of birds and the stream running. I look around and manage to pull myself up against the hanger. I look around and I don't see Alex anywhere. "Alex?" I ask, hoping she is watching out on the hanger. "Alex?" I ask again but get no reply.

I start to panic and look around camp. I see that two bags have gone and her sword. No, she has left me. Suddenly I hear a scream and then a cannon blast. That scream…it was Alex. "ALEX!" I shout again.

I force myself to my feet but stumble straight into the stream head first. I clamber back to my feet and grab my axe, "Alex?!" But no reply. I swing the two bags over my back and leave the camp with my weapons and bags.

I walk for a couple of minutes and then I see the hovercraft in the distance. Please don't be Alex. Please! I beg to myself. But then I see her black hair being lifted up, "No!" I scream as I fall to my knees defeated. They have taken them all away from me. No more Alex. No more Oak. No more Chip and no more Thorn. All of them gone, to be sent back home in wooden boxes.

I hear footsteps coming towards me. It must be 8, coming to finish me off. But as the figure approaches me I see Micro running towards me. "Micro?" I ask confused. I wipe the tears from my eyes and she runs into my arms.

"Its eight, he is coming" she shouts as she clings to me. Then I see him come charging into the clearing. He is cut open and looks very pale. His mace is covered in blood and flesh and I see some strands of black hair attacked to it. He killed Alex.

I stand and push Micro behind me, "Stay back" I tell her. I drop my bags and grab my two axes. Right now I am running on anger and adrenaline alone. "You killed her" I mutter.

"What?" he asks.

"Alex, you fucking killed her" I shout. He smirks and I can't take it anymore. I throw one axe but he manages to move his head just in time, but as he is distracted I charge forward and kick him in his chest. The pain has gone and all I feel now is anger and the determination to get my revenge.

He stumbles back, seemingly shocked. "What's the matter?" I spit, "Didn't see that coming!" I shout. He pushes himself of the tree and then charges at me with the mace held above his head. He swings but I duck just in time and then slice at his arm with my axe.

I get up and jump to the side before kicking him again. He stumbles and falls over, "Get up" I scream. I want to see his face when I kill this bastard. He clambers back up and glares at me, "Come on then" I say while spreading my arms wide and glaring at him right back.

I see him pick up some dirt of the ground and then he throws it into my eyes. My eyes instantly sting and my vision is blurred. I try my best to rub the dirt out. Then I feel a force push me down onto the dirt and he climbs on top of me. Pain shoots through my head as he starts punching me. I feel my nose crack and my right eye instantly swells shut.

The memories of the day before flash through my mind. This is how he was going to finish me off then and now he is finishing the job.

He stops hitting me and I feel his strong hands snake around my throat and I instantly start gasping for air. Is this how it will end? Being strangled to death by a guy twice the size of me. Black dots fill my vision and I know that this is the end so I close my eyes and just let it end.

He lets out a groan and then I hear a thud, soon followed by a cannon. My left eye flies open and I turn to see an axe in his back. I hear a screaming and then turn my head to see Micro looking at 8. Did she just save my life? Yes, she did.

Then it hits me. We are the final 2 and only one of us can go home. I didn't want it to come to this, but here we are. This is how it was always meant to be. They want us all to suffer and this is how they do it. This poor little 13 year old girl is going to have to die by my hands.

I push myself up and look at her. She looks even smaller now, than she did before. Why do I have to kill her? Why me? I see her lip trembling and I can't get the picture of Venia out of my head.

Venia…

Dad…

Fern…

Gran…

I have been fighting for them. I have been fighting to see them again and hug them and kiss them and for them to love me. I have been fighting for Oak, Alex, Chip and Thorn. It wouldn't be fair to just give up now.

I grab the silver necklace that Ally gave me all those years ago and determination fills me. Though I am hurt, my body is pumping with adrenaline which pushes the pain aside. I won't go down now. I won't give up, I am going home. I grip the handle of the axe in the boys back and then rip it out.

"No…" Micro mutters as she backs away. I drag my feet towards her and she backs up into a tree, "P-please" she begs but I push it aside. I am going home. Nothing will get in my way. Nothing!

"I…am…sorry" I mutter before raising the axe and bringing it down into her head. Blood splatters my face, the warm liquid dripping of my chin. I look at the now lifeless body of Micro Stellar. The 13 year old girl who fell to my axe. I let go of the handle and her body crumples to the floor, followed by a cannon. "I won" I mutter as I step back.

Trumpets sound throughout the arena with the capitol's applause. "Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to give you your victor of the one-hundredth hunger games and fourth quarter quell…Maple Serena from District Seven!" Claudius Templesmith's voice shouts.

"I won…I-I-I…me" I stutter as I fall to my knees. But at what cost? The cost of 23 other lives. 23 other kids who won't ever see their parents again. Was it worth it? Was it worth the fighting? Just to regret it for the rest of my life. I have killed and that won't ever be wiped clean from my conscience. I will never escape the arena, because it is a part of me now. It is imbedded into my brain.

I reach around my neck and pull out my silver necklace with the half heart charm. It isn't working. Ally said it will help me in times of distress or when I am feeling down.

I look pass my necklace and down to my belt and see a knife. The same knife that has taken lives. The knife that has killed. But…it still has one last kill to make. I take it out and line it up with my stomach. I look up to see the hovercraft lowering down a ladder with two people dressed in white. "Goodbye" I mutter before plunging the knife into my stomach. Pain shoots through me and I let out a cry before crumpling to the floor.

My vision blurs and I can feel myself slipping away. It would only be fair for me to die along with the rest of the kids. Goodbye Venia. Goodbye dad. Goodbye Fern, goodbye Gran and goodbye Ally. I love you.

* * *

**A/N: Oh my god! Will Maple die? Or will the Capitol save her just in time? We have seen Maple go through up and downs (mostly downs) inside the arena, but she has won it. We watched her change from the 19 year old young woman to an emotional wreck who has tried to end her life, even though she was going home.**

**The games are over, but that doesn't mean the story is. I want to write maybe 1 or 2 more chapters that will include the interview and going home. There will be a sequel and I can't wait to start writing it. **

**Until ne****xt tome~**


	17. Chapter 17

**WARNING! WARNING! LONG CHAPTER!**

* * *

My hearing returns before my sight. I hear blurred voices and beeping. My smell sense comes back and it smells like a hospital. Is this heaven? Is this what I am going to live with for eternity?

No…this can't be heaven. I am in pain and you aint supposed to feel pain in heaven. I try to talk but my throat hurts so bad. Did they get me? Did they lift me from the arena and save me? Why? I don't deserve to live. I have taken lives. I have blood on my hands, I don't deserve to live.

The voices become clearer now and I can hear what the people are saying around me.

"Why would she do that?" says a man. I recognise his voice, it is Darius, my stylist.

"I don't have a clue. She had won" comes another familiar voice, Andre, my old mentor and now fellow victor. "She won and yet she tried to kill herself" he mutters again. At least I know now that I didn't succeed in ending it.

"Poor girl" Darius replies. I feel a hand on my hand and yank it away. I hear him squeal and then I am grabbed again, "Maple…are you awake?" he asks.

"Maple, open your eyes" Andre says. I force my eyes open and lights flood in, causing me to close them again. I force them to stay open the next time and look around at Andre and Darius.

"W-where am I?" I ask hoarsely.

"The Capitol, you won" Andre says as he takes my right hand.

"I know" I mutter. I think back to my time in the arena. Back to my alliance of the people I came to know and love. People I will never see again. This brings a tear to my eye and I just let it fall freely. I don't care if I cry now.

"Why did you do it?" Darius asks. I turn to him and see he has tears too, "Why would you try to kill yourself after you won?"

"I don't deserve to live" I reply, "Not after killing all of those people" I say as I wipe away the tears, just for them to be replaced by more.

"Don't see it like that" Andre says, "See it as a new start. See it as freedom from the past" he says. "You didn't just kill them for the sake of it. You killed them to be free. You killed then because you had to." But it still doesn't make it feel any better. The fact of the matter is I have killed people. I will be haunted by them forever and there will be nothing I can do to stop them. No drugs will be able to erase the nightmares that are soon to come.

Suddenly, nurses come in and they push Andre and Darius out of the room. "Hello Miss Serena" one female nurse says as she greets me, "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap" I mutter under my breath. "I have a pain in my stomach from where I stabbed myself and pain in both of my side from getting cut open. The pain in my face has gone though" I say.

"Yes, we are here to fix you up and make you brand new" she says. Great, I am going to have surgery to have my wounds healed. But what about my mental wounds? No type of surgery can make them go away, "For that to happen we will have to put you under" she says. I am about to protest but I already see them inject the needles into my arm and I feel darkness spread over my body.

* * *

I wake again, this time I feel no pain. I feel like my ordinary self…well as ordinary as a near mental person can feel. There is only one doctor in with me and when he notices I am awake he rushes over to me, "Good morning Miss Serena" he says as he smiles at me.

"Morning" I mutter, trying to sound sarcastic but failing.

"How are you feeling today?"

I want to say horrible. I want to tell them all about how they have broken me. I want them to know that this is their entire fault, theirs and their stupid hunger games. But all I reply with is a simple, "Fine."

"Great, today you will be discharged. You no longer have any more wounds and all the cuts and bruises have gone too. You are brand new" he says before walking away. I am being discharged. Which means one thing…my interview is coming up. I am dreading this, I will have to watch the recaps. I will have to relive all the kills I made and all my friends dying of, one by one.

As the hour passes, I am visited once more by Andre and Darius, along with Merinetta, who seems over thrilled about my victory. At least somebody is enjoying themselves. Andre tells me about my interview and Darius helps me into my dress. It seems as though my prep-team worked on me while I was asleep. My dress is beautifull. It is sparkling green and fits me tightly, showing of my slight hour glass shape. It stops, just before my ankles where it pales out.

Darius puts my hair into a high ponytail and applies a little make up around my eyes. I try to fend him off but he does it anyway. They put me in a pair of black high heels and then I am ready.

I am then taken from the hospital, back to the training centre in a black car that managed to fit me, Andre, Darius, Merinetta and my prep-team. Once we arrive, I see reporters waiting. "I can't do this" I mutter as I reach for the nearest hand, which happens to be Andre's. I turn and look at him and he gives my hand an encouraging squeeze.

"You will be fine" he says before letting my hand go and following Darius out of the car. As I step out, Merinetta covers me with a coat, so the press don't get a glimpse of me before the rest of Panem. They hurry me inside and once I am there, they lead me down, under the same stage where I was just over a week ago.

Wow, only a week. It seems like a lifetime ago. I guess you lose track of time when you are fighting to survive. I see a metal plate and I am instantly reminded of the launch room. I stop dead in my tracks as I stare at the plate, "What's wrong dear?" Merinetta asks.

"I am going back aren't I?" I ask, feeling tears well up.

"No dear, you are going up onto the stage" she says.

"No" I say as I take a step back, "I don't want to go back in. You can't make me" I shout as I rush to the door. I feel hand grab my arms as I try to make my escape, "Get the fuck off of me" I scream as I lash out at the guards.

They drop me and I fall to my knees. I feel tears coming and I just let them fall, "Maple?" I hear Andre's voice, but it sounds miles away, "Maple, listen to me" he says. I look around and then see him leaning in front of me.

"Don't let them take me back" I whimper.

"You are not going back. The plate will raise you-"

"No!" I scream as I cover my ears. I can feel my sanity slipping away. It seems like forever before I turn away and then I catch a glimpse of the plate. It is now covered with a black cloth.

"Maple, this will rise you" I flinch at the word 'rise'. It will raise me up into the arena, "up onto the stage" Andre says. Onto the stage? Wait, now I get it. This is my interview. It will take me up on stage where I will be interviewed by Caesar Flickerman. Where have a heard this information before?

"So I am not going back?" I ask.

"No sweetie, you have already won" Merinetta says. Andre picks me up of the floor and Darius rushes to me to fic my smeared make up and to dust of my dress. I am not going back into the arena. I am going home. Home to Venia, to father, to Fern and to gran.

"Ok" I mutter before I am lead over to the black cloth covered plate. I stand on the plate terrified as my prep-team is introduced. Then goes Darius, then Merinetta and then Andre. Now it is my turn. I feel the plate rise and panic begins to fill in my chest. I can shake the feeling of me entering the arena once more.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the stage, your one-hundredth victor and winner of the fourth Quarter Quell…Maple Serena" cried Caesar as I rise onto the stage. I see Andre, Merinetta, Darius and my prep-team sitting on their own chairs. Caesar, who is sporting the golden look, walks to me and takes me hand, "Hello dear" he says. I gulp before forcing a smile before replying.

"Hello Caesar" I say. He kisses my hand and then leads me to the love seat which is set up beside his own chair. I take a seat and he smiles at me.

"Well, how are you feeling about your victory?" he asks. I start to panic again. If I say just one wrong word then my family could get killed. It happened to a lot of victors and there is nothing stopping them from killing mine. I force my courage to the top and reply.

"Well, I am glad that I get to go back to my family" I say. That should be fine. Nobody will kill them for that…would they?

"I bet you are...Now, tell me how you felt when your district partner, Oak died." Oh no, why did he have to bring that up? I feel tears sting my eyes but I don't dare let them fall.

"It hurt Caesar, it really did. I should have protected him better, I should have went to check on the careers myself" I say. Just the thought of the careers and Glitz, gets my blood boiling, "But I got my revenge when I cut that bitches head off" I mutter.

"What was that?" Caesar asks.

"I got my revenge when I killed that blonde bimbo" I saw fiercely. I see that I have scared him a little. Good, I want them to feel what I have been feeling. I want them to feel my pain.

"Right…well on to the next question" he says, "We all know you formed an alliance with Chip Stronghold from District Three, Alex Rupee from District Six, of course Oak Chambers from seven and Thorn Brookwhich from District Eleven. How close were you to them?" he asks. It pains me to talk about them and I feel like trying to end my life when I think about them being dead.

"As you know, I loved Oak like a little brother" I say. Caesar nods and 'awww's' can be heard from the audience. "Chip was a good guy and he helped us a lot and I was angry when he was killed. Thorn was also a good guy. Though he was quiet, he was there for me when Oak died. Alex was a good friend. She was there for me in training and, though I tried to pin the blame for Oak's death on her, I knew she didn't cause it. I was devastated when I saw he body being lifted from the arena, it was like I had lost a family member" I say. A single tear rolls down my cheek.

"We could all tell" Caesar says as he takes my hand and squeezes it, "Now, about Micro Stellar from three. What were your feelings towards her?" he asks.

"When I first seen Micro in the recap of the reaping, I didn't think she would stand a chance, but then she proved me wrong. She managed to outlive the tributes and came second. I am confused on how she came second" I say. I still feel sorry for killing her, but I don't feel as bad as my friends.

"We were all shocked aswel. She saved your life, just like you saved hers when you gave her water" Caesar says. I forgot all about that until now. If I didn't give her water back them, then I would have had to kill her. But, if I didn't, I wouldn't be here right now, district 8 would. "Now, for the final question before we watch the highlights. What was you feeling when you tried to kill yourself?" There, he went a struck a nerve. I can feel myself slipping away again. I turn to Andre and he smiled reassuringly at me. I smile back before returning to the front.

"Well, I don't really know what I was feeling. I knew I had won and yet I didn't want to win. I was hurting and in so much pain, both physically and emotionally. I have taken lives and it just seemed like an easy way out" I say. Caesar nods and I see that the crowd are hanging onto the edge of their seats, "But, when I noticed that they had saved me…I was happy." Total Lie "I was going home and I was going to see my family again. I am happy I won, "another lie, "And I will try my best to bring more tributes home in the future."

The crowd erupts into applause. Caesar hugs me and I force a smile, "Now, onto your highlights." Oh no…not this. A giant screen rises on my left which is showing the capitol seal.

The screen comes alive and it starts with the reaping's. I watch them through once again, but this time I feel something for the people. Feel hatred when I see Glitz run onto the stage. I feel sadness when I see Chip and Micro. When Alex comes on I want to call out to her, but then I remember she is no longer alive. I shed a tear when I see Oak. When the boy from 10 comes around, I feel pain shoot through me. He was my first kill. And then then Thorn comes on. His face is void of emotion, just like it was when I saw him. I can't believe they are all gone. I will never see them again.

Then, after the reaping's, they show my interview. I look so confident back during that interview. But, right now I am feeling the opposite. I just want to get on the train and go back home. After the interview, they skip right to the launch.

I watch as all the tributes, including me, rise into the arena. I get a good close up on everyones reactions. The careers are giggling and smiling to each other. I see Alex getting ready to run and then I see Oak standing next to the 10 year old girl from 10 and the 10 year old boy from 5. That must have been the reason he ran to the cornucopia. With those two kids by him he could stand a chance.

Then the gong goes off and every jumps from their plates. I re-watch the deaths. They show me Oak running and grabbing a knife. They show Alex stabbing the girl from 12 and then they grab Chip and run. Then they show my first kill.

My eyes widen as I watch him chocking me. I feel my throat tighten as I watch the scene unfold. They it shows Thorn kicking the boy in his ribs, making him fall off of me. Then I watch as I slash the boy's throat. I feel sick as it all replays in my mind.

The rest of it goes by in a flash. The careers did kill the girl from 12. They replay Oak's death and me cradling him in my arms. I can't stop the constant flow of tears when I watch this. They show my scene with Micro. They show me and Alex killing the district 4 duo and taking their weapons. Then they show us facing off against the careers. A menacing smile creeps across my face as I watch myself behead Glitz. They show me how Chip died. They show Alex fighting Glamour and the guy from 8, who I now know is called Fabien, fighting Thorn. I watch as I attack Fabien then he starts beating me. I feel pain in my face as I watch this. Then Thorn tackles Fabien who turns the fight around and snaps thorn's neck. I wince as I watch this and a tear falls for him. Alex kill's Glamour by sending her sword through his chest and she then grabs me before Fabien can do anything.

They show Alex running with me in her arms, back to the camp. She takes out the knife and stitches me up. Then they show her leaving me. She runs into Fabien and Micro. Fabien was trying to kill Micro, who was up in a tree. Alex tries to run but Fabien grabs her by the hair and smashes the mace into her head and then she fell.

During this, Micro has jumped from the tree and was running in my direction. I see myself on the forest floor crying when they lift up Alex's body. They show Micro running into me and then me protecting her. I throw my axe but Fabien dodges it then tackles me to the ground. It is as if I can feel the pain again when I watch Fabien punching me. Then I see Micro pull the axe out of the tree and then she lunges it into Fabien's back. He falls off of me and then I get up. I know what's coming and all I want to do is look away, but I can't. I am drawn to the screen like a moth to a flame. I watch as I easily kill Micro, even after her pleading me not to.

I feel faint and I fall of my chair as I stare at the screen. All the sounds feel like they are miles away and I feel tears rolling down my cheeks. I can hear a scream as I watch myself stab myself. I then realise that scream is coming from me. "No!" I whimper as everything catches up to me.

It is like living in a nightmare. I feel arms around my waist and then I am being lifted to my feet. I turn to see Andre holding me, "It's OK" he says as he leads me of stage. It isn't OK and it never will be. My life, during the past two weeks, has been ruined and it will never be the same again. Like I said, I am broken.

* * *

**A/N: WOW! Over 3000 words in th****is chapter. This is the longest chapter by far. The next chapter will be the last…but don't worry. I am planning a sequel. Please review and add to your favourites, I would really appreciate it. Until next time~**


	18. Chapter 18

The trees fly by in a blur, all the colours merging into one. A bird flies by in the distance and soon disappears. Oh how I wish I could be as free as that bird. To be able to go wherever I want without any worries. To not live under a blood thirsty governments rules and have to obey to their every command or risk the life of everyone you love if you disobey.

"How are you doing?" I hear Andre's sympathetic voice say from behind me.

"How do you think?" I spit back. I don't mean to talk like this, but everything anyone says to me angers me. It was my time in the arena, it has damaged me.

"I know how you feel. Don't shut me out because I can help" he says. This just irritates me even more. I turn from the window and get right up into his face.

"Go fuck yourself" I spit before pushing pass him and going through a door that leads to the food cart. I boarded the train an hour ago and they said I won't arrive back home for a couple of hours. I just want it all to be over. I just want to sit with my family again and hold Venia in my arms while dad chatters on about anything.

I take a seat at the table and order some coffee. It arrives seconds later and I take tiny sips while I think about the good things to come. The freedom of being a victor, to be forever free from the games. I thought I was free before the rules were announced. The past 2 weeks has seemed more like 2 years. It will be good to smell the district 7 air again.

But then there are the down sides. I have the victory tour coming up in six months. I will have to go through all the districts starting from 12, missing 7, then to 1. Then I will have to go back to 7 and then to the capitol. I will have to speak in front of the districts and say a speech. I will have to look into the eyes of the families who were hoping and praying for their kids to come back and yet it is me instead. I will have to talk about the kids I killed and the ones I loved.

Then next year I will have to mentor, alongside Andre, 2 kids who will most likely never see their families again. Every year will bring more sorrow to the families of the districts. I will have to watch a boy and girl fight to the death. This alone brings tears to my eyes. I feel them run down my cheeks, leaving wet streaks in their wake.

I have been like this since I woke this morning. Tears would come at the most random times, even when I don't feel upset, they would just start to fall. Andre and Merinetta say that I will be fine, but I know I won't. I know that deep down I am losing my sanity and it is only a matter of time before I crack and everything I love will run from me. It is only a matter of time before I turn insane.

* * *

I can hear the roaring crowd through the thick metal doors. I am pleased to hear that they are cheers of celebration and not cries of despair. Thoughts start running through my mind. Will Venia like me? Will dad still see me as his daughter? Will my district still love me like they use to?

Other thoughts enter my mind. What about Oak's family? Will they blame me for his death? What will I say to them? It is too late because the doors are opening.

Flashes of light fill my vision and I hide my eyes behind my hand. Peacekeepers are doing their best to keep the paparazzi at bay, which I am glad for. One wrong question and I will lash out or cry. I scan the crowds for my family and after a while I spot them. Venia is on dads shoulders smiling a waving. Fern is clinging onto dads arm smiling at me and dad has a proud grin on his face.

I have the urge to run to them and never let go, but I need to stay here. A genuine smile crawls across my face at the sight of my family. I don't care about the camera men and woman, they can screw off. I am home now and that is the main thing.

* * *

**A/N: Wow! Short chapter alert! I know last chapters are meant to be long, but you had your long chapter last time so don't whine. Anyway…we made it! (Confetti cannon fires) I would like to shout out for the people who have stuck with me through this whole fic. It is you lot that got me through to the end and got me to finish this.**

**This is not the end of Maple, she will be back for a sequel, but that won't be for a while yet. I want to work on maybe some one-shots I have in mind and then I will come back to Maple.**

**Also, I know that I am not the best at spelling and grammar, but it warms my heart to know that you pushed through that and stuck with me through it all anyway. This is goodbye for now (cries hysterically), but like I said, we will meet again.**

**Until ****then**** my lovelies 3**


End file.
